USC men’s basketball vs CAL and what you need to know…
Trojans, looking to halt a tough two-game skid that puts their NCAA tourney hopes in jeopardy, host the Golden Bears, who have lost nine in a row, tonight at the Galen Center, at 7 p.m.
CAL at USC men’s basketball
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Where: Galen Center
TV/Radio: Fox Sports 1/790 AM
Records: Cal 3-22, 2-12 in Pac-12; USC 17-9, 9-5
Adam Grosbard (OC Register)
CAL’s latest result: Credit to the Golden Bears; this time it took overtime, but Cal still fell 70-62 against Arizona State on Saturday. It was the ninth consecutive loss for Cal, coming immediately after the 3-1 stretch in which the Golden Bears earned all their wins for the entire season. The two bright spots in the game were reserve forwards Grant Newell and Monty Bowser, who each scored 14 points in 60 combined minutes of play with starter Lars Thiemann in foul trouble for much of the night.
USC’s latest result: The Trojans were swept during their Oregon trip, losing first to the Ducks in lopsided fashion, then to rebuilding Oregon State 61-58 on Saturday. With center Joshua Morgan (ankle) and guard Reese Dixon-Waters (leg) sidelined, head coach Andy Enfield tightened his rotation. Only one player off the bench played more than seven minutes. Starters Drew Peterson and Kobe Johnson got only one minute of rest while Boogie Ellis and Tre White played 36 and 34 minutes, respectively. The strategy resulted in tired legs, and the Trojans shot 32.1% from the floor while missing 13 of 14 attempts from 3-point range.
Big matchup to watch: Thiemann vs. Vincent Iwuchukwu. If Morgan can’t play (more on that in moment), the freshman center will have to step up against Thiemann. The forward has been the Bears’ leading scorer since Devin Askew went down for the season. Iwuchukwu is still learning on the defensive end, but will need to hold his own in this matchup.
USC trend to watch: Morgan and Dixon-Waters are considered game-time decisions against CAL, though Enfield sounded more confident in Dixon-Waters playing than Morgan after Monday’s practice. The sophomore guard’s return would ease some of the pressure on USC’s rotation, but Morgan has been sorely missed the past three games. His defensive presence in the paint has not been replicable for any of USC’s younger forwards and centers.
March résumé check-in: The Trojans are currently 64th in NET rankings following the losses to Oregon and Oregon State. This has the Trojans on the outside looking in at the NCAA tournament in projections by ESPN and CBS Sports. A win over the downtrodden Golden Bears wouldn’t move the needle much, but a surprise loss would tank USC’s résumé.
ocregister.com
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