The USC Trojans (14-6, 6-3) will host the UCLA Bruins (17-3, 8-1) at the Galen Center on Jan. 26 at 6:00 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2 with Dave Pasch and Bill Walton calling the action.
USC’S STELLAR STRETCH — USC won a school-record 73 games over the last three seasons (22 in 2020, 25 in 2021 and 26 in 2022). The previous school record for wins in three consecutive seasons was 71 (2016-18). The three consecutive seasons of 20+ wins also equals the school record for most consecutive 20-win seasons set from 2016-18.
WINNING WAYS — USC’s 73 total wins the previous three seasons tied for the third most among all Power 6 basketball programs, trailing only the last two NCAA champions Kansas (83) and Baylor (81). Also, USC’s 160 wins the previous seven seasons ranked 13th among all Power 6 conference teams.
ENFIELD LEADING THE WAY — USC head coach Andy Enfield is in his 10th season at USC and has compiled an 197-124 record. His wins total ranks fourth on USC’s all-time wins list, trailing only Sam Barry (260), Forrest Twogood (251) and Bob Boyd (216). Including his two seasons as the head coach at FGCU (2012-13), Enfield has compiled a 238-152 record.
FACING No. 8/No. 7 UCLA — The UCLA Bruins (17-3, 8-1) are coming off their first conference loss of the season, a 58-52 setback at Arizona on Jan. 21. Jaime Jaquez Jr. leads UCLA in scoring (16.1 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg). Six Bruins are averaging at least 8.4 points per game. UCLA defeated USC 60-58 on Jan. 5 at Pauley Pavilion. In that game, USC rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to take the lead with 30 seconds left, only to have UCLA’s Jaylen Clark hit a second-chance three-pointer to get the lead back for the Bruins. USC has won 5 of its last 8 games with UCLA and its last four at the Galen Center. USC trails 114-146* in the all-time series with UCLA (1 win later vacted due to NCAA penalty, original record 115-146).
WASHINGTON STATE ON DECK — USC’s next game will be vs. the Washington State Cougars (9-12, 4-6) at the Galen Center on Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. Washington State has lost its last two games following a season-best three-game winning streak. The Cougars will host Arizona and Arizona State before traveling to Los Angeles. Guard TJ Bamba leads Washington State in scoring with a 15.2 points per game average. USC lost 81-71 at Washington State on Jan. 1, snapping a 12-game winning streak against the Cougars. USC leads the all-time series 81-49.
PRIME TIME TROJANS — USC is 10-0 this season when the tip is set for 7 p.m. PT or later.
IT STARTS WITH DEFENSE — USC 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 allowed Washington State to make a 2022-23 opponent high 49.1 percent of its shots on Jan. 1,
but has held 4 of its last 7 opponents to under 37 percent shooting. USC has held 12 of its 20 opponents this season to under 40 percent shooting. USC is holding its opponents to a 38.5 shooting percentage this season, 10th in the country. Over the last four seasons, USC’s defense has held the opposition to 38.8 FG percentage, 3rd in the country.
THE TOP STACK IN THE PAC — USC is third in conference regular season wins among Pac-12 teams for the past six seasons (since the 2017-18 season). USC is 66-37, Arizona is 67-36, while UCLA is 68-33 in that stretch, through games of Jan. 23. Next up would be Oregon at 63-36 and Colorado at 58-42.
ENJOYING THE HOME COOKING — USC is 9-1 at the Galen Center this season, losing the opener to FGCU on Nov. 7, then winning the next 9 games. The 9-game home winning streak is USC’s longest single-season home winning streak since beginning the 2016-17 season 9-0 at the Galen Center. The last time USC won 10 or more in a row at home in a single season was the 2015-16 season when it won the first 15 games at the Galen Center.
USC HOSTING A BLOCK PARTY — USC has 112 blocks this season, led by Joshua Morgan’s 51 blocks. USC is averaging 5.6 blocks per game, tied for 13th in the country. Morgan’s 51 blocks this season lead the conference and rank 8th 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. USC as a team has registered 583 blocks over the last four seasons which ranks 6th nationally.
PETERSON PROVIDING THE ASSIST — Guard Drew Peterson leads USC and is third among Pac-12 players with 95 assists. Peterson is one of two players nationally (Jalen Pickett of Penn State) averaging at least 13.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game this season. Peterson is averaging 14.0 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.
JEKYLL & HYDE FROM WAY OUTSIDE — USC made 38.9 percent of its 3-pointers at Arizona State on Jan. 21, its sixth game this season making at least 38 percent from 3-point range. In those six games USC has made 45.2 percent of its 3-pointers (56-for-124), while it has averaged 24.6 percent from beyond the arc in the other 14 games (56-for-228).
CLANCY ON THE CALL — Former USC basketball great Sam Clancy will join Jordan Moore, the voice of Trojan basketball, on the radio broadcast of the game vs. Washington on Feb. 4.
THE FOUL TRUTH — USC committed 23 fouls in the 81-66 loss at Arizona on Jan. 19 and fell to 0-4 this season when committing 20 or more fouls in a game. USC committed more fouls than its opponent in 5 of its 6 losses this season. USC has averaged 20.0 fouls in its losses and 15.6 fouls in its victories.
TOEING THE LINE — USC made all 14 of its free throw attempts at Arizona State on Jan. 21, tying for the third most makes from the charity stripe in a game without a miss in school history. On Jan. 19 at Arizona, USC made 66.7 percent of its free throw, snapping a streak of 5 consecutive games making 70 percent or more from the charity stripe, USC’s longest such stretch since an 8-game stretch in the 2016-17 season. USC has made 72.4 percent of its free throws this season, its best team FT percentage since the 2017 team made 74.1 percent of its free throws. USC has shot higher than 70 percent for a season from the free throw line twice in the previous 15 seasons.
