University Southern California Trojans
Wednesday, December 14
Los Angeles, Calif.
8:00 PM
USC
vs
Long Beach State
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's Basketball
Photo by: John E. McGillen Photography LLC
USC Men's Basketball Returns To Action Hosting Long Beach State
December 12, 2022 | Men's Basketball
Trojans put 3-game win streak on the line Wednesday
The USC Trojans (7-3) are hosting Long Beach State (4-5) at the Galen Center on Dec. 14 at 8:00 p.m. The game will air on the Pac-12 Network with J.B.Long and Don MacLean calling the action. Â
FACING LONG BEACH STATE -- Long Beach State (4-5) is coming off a 76-74 loss at Sacramento State on Dec. 10. Long Beach State like USC played in a tournament in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving, with The Beach going 2-1 at the Baha Mar Hoops tournament from Nov. 25-27. Senior guard Joel Murray leads Long Beach State in scoring with a 14.4 average. Former USC assistant coach Jason Hart's son, Jason Hart Jr., is a freshman on the team. USC defeated Long Beach State 73-62 last season on Dec. 12 and leads the all-time series 11-6.
AUBURN ON DECK -- USC's next game will be against the No. 19/No. 18 Auburn Tigers at the Galen Center on Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m. Auburn won its first 8 games of the season before falling 82-73 vs. Memphis in Atlanta, Ga. on Dec. 10. The Tigers will host Georgia Southern on Dec. 14 before traveling to Los Angeles to face the Trojans. Junior guard Wendell Green Jr. leads Auburn with a 13.4 scoring average. USC is 2-0 all-time against Auburn, winning 73-66 on Dec. 15, 1972 and 85-74 on Dec. 29, 1977. Â
MONTH OF MERRIMENT -- USC is 2-0 this month and has gone 16-2 during the month of December the last four seasons. USC won all 6 games last December.
IT STARTS WITH DEFENSE -- USC held CS Fullerton to 32.8 percent shooting on Dec. 7. It also held California to 27.7 shooting on Nov. 30, the lowest by an opponent since holding Stanford to a 25.4 shooting percentage on March 3, 2021. USC has held 7 of its 10 opponents this season to 37.5 percent shooting or less. USC held 22 of its 34 opponents during the 2021-22 season to under 40 percent shooting. USC held the opposition to a 39.0 shooting percentage during the season, 14th in the country. USC is holding its opponents to a 36.9 shooting percentage this season, 14th in the country. Over the last four seasons, USC's defense has held the opposition to 38.6 FG percentage, 3rd in the country.
MORGAN HOSTING USC'S BLOCK PARTY -- USC has 62 blocks in the first 10 games of the 2022-23 season, led by Joshua Morgan's 33 blocks. USC is averaging 6.2 blocks per game, 4th in the country. Morgan's 33 blocks this season rank second in the country. Morgan had 7 blocks vs. FGCU on Nov. 7 which tied him for fifth on USC's all-time single game blocks list. He matched that total with 7 blocks at Cal on Nov. 30. His 33 blocks this season are more than the Trojans' leader in that category during the 2021-22 season (Isaiah Mobley - 29). USC as a team has registered 533 blocks over the last four seasons which ranks 6th nationally.
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS, PETERSON IS GIVING TO ALL -- Guard Drew Peterson leads USC and is second among Pac-12 players with 60 assists, which ranks tied for 14th nationally. Peterson is one of two players nationally (Jalen Pickett of Penn State) averaging at least 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game this season. Peterson is averaging 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Â
YOU CAN CALL ME JOHNSON -- Sophomore guard Kobe Johnson keyed USC's comeback from an 11-point halftime deficit to win 63-62 over Oregon State on Dec. 4. Johnson scored a career-high 17 points (1st time in double figures), made a career-best 3 three-pointers and matched a personal best with 5 steal. He followed up that game with 14 points vs. CS Fullerton on Dec. 7. In the last 5 games he has averaged 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals.
CAPKO NAMED AN ASSISTANT COACH TO WATCH -- USC associate head coach Chris Capko was recently cited as one of 21 assistant coaches to watch in all of college basketball by The Athletic.
FEAST OR FAMINE -- USC made a season best 47.8 percent from three-point range twice (11-for-23 vs. Alabama State and Wisconsin) and has combined to make 24.6 percent of its three-pointers in the other eight games (33-for-134).
GETTING IT DONE -- With the 63-62 win over Oregon State on Dec. 4, USC improved to 8-2 in one-possession games since the start of the 2021-22 season.Â
POINTS HAVE BEEN AT A PREMIUM -- USC has scored under 70 points in five consecutive games in a single season for the first time since the 2012-13 season when it went eight consecutive games scoring under 70 points (Nov. 13-Dec. 8).
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FACING LONG BEACH STATE -- Long Beach State (4-5) is coming off a 76-74 loss at Sacramento State on Dec. 10. Long Beach State like USC played in a tournament in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving, with The Beach going 2-1 at the Baha Mar Hoops tournament from Nov. 25-27. Senior guard Joel Murray leads Long Beach State in scoring with a 14.4 average. Former USC assistant coach Jason Hart's son, Jason Hart Jr., is a freshman on the team. USC defeated Long Beach State 73-62 last season on Dec. 12 and leads the all-time series 11-6.
AUBURN ON DECK -- USC's next game will be against the No. 19/No. 18 Auburn Tigers at the Galen Center on Dec. 18 at 2:30 p.m. Auburn won its first 8 games of the season before falling 82-73 vs. Memphis in Atlanta, Ga. on Dec. 10. The Tigers will host Georgia Southern on Dec. 14 before traveling to Los Angeles to face the Trojans. Junior guard Wendell Green Jr. leads Auburn with a 13.4 scoring average. USC is 2-0 all-time against Auburn, winning 73-66 on Dec. 15, 1972 and 85-74 on Dec. 29, 1977. Â
MONTH OF MERRIMENT -- USC is 2-0 this month and has gone 16-2 during the month of December the last four seasons. USC won all 6 games last December.
IT STARTS WITH DEFENSE -- USC held CS Fullerton to 32.8 percent shooting on Dec. 7. It also held California to 27.7 shooting on Nov. 30, the lowest by an opponent since holding Stanford to a 25.4 shooting percentage on March 3, 2021. USC has held 7 of its 10 opponents this season to 37.5 percent shooting or less. USC held 22 of its 34 opponents during the 2021-22 season to under 40 percent shooting. USC held the opposition to a 39.0 shooting percentage during the season, 14th in the country. USC is holding its opponents to a 36.9 shooting percentage this season, 14th in the country. Over the last four seasons, USC's defense has held the opposition to 38.6 FG percentage, 3rd in the country.
MORGAN HOSTING USC'S BLOCK PARTY -- USC has 62 blocks in the first 10 games of the 2022-23 season, led by Joshua Morgan's 33 blocks. USC is averaging 6.2 blocks per game, 4th in the country. Morgan's 33 blocks this season rank second in the country. Morgan had 7 blocks vs. FGCU on Nov. 7 which tied him for fifth on USC's all-time single game blocks list. He matched that total with 7 blocks at Cal on Nov. 30. His 33 blocks this season are more than the Trojans' leader in that category during the 2021-22 season (Isaiah Mobley - 29). USC as a team has registered 533 blocks over the last four seasons which ranks 6th nationally.
IN THE SPIRIT OF THE HOLIDAYS, PETERSON IS GIVING TO ALL -- Guard Drew Peterson leads USC and is second among Pac-12 players with 60 assists, which ranks tied for 14th nationally. Peterson is one of two players nationally (Jalen Pickett of Penn State) averaging at least 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game this season. Peterson is averaging 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game. Â
YOU CAN CALL ME JOHNSON -- Sophomore guard Kobe Johnson keyed USC's comeback from an 11-point halftime deficit to win 63-62 over Oregon State on Dec. 4. Johnson scored a career-high 17 points (1st time in double figures), made a career-best 3 three-pointers and matched a personal best with 5 steal. He followed up that game with 14 points vs. CS Fullerton on Dec. 7. In the last 5 games he has averaged 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals.
CAPKO NAMED AN ASSISTANT COACH TO WATCH -- USC associate head coach Chris Capko was recently cited as one of 21 assistant coaches to watch in all of college basketball by The Athletic.
FEAST OR FAMINE -- USC made a season best 47.8 percent from three-point range twice (11-for-23 vs. Alabama State and Wisconsin) and has combined to make 24.6 percent of its three-pointers in the other eight games (33-for-134).
GETTING IT DONE -- With the 63-62 win over Oregon State on Dec. 4, USC improved to 8-2 in one-possession games since the start of the 2021-22 season.Â
POINTS HAVE BEEN AT A PREMIUM -- USC has scored under 70 points in five consecutive games in a single season for the first time since the 2012-13 season when it went eight consecutive games scoring under 70 points (Nov. 13-Dec. 8).
Â
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