“I really wanted this bad. This game, being a rivalry game, and me not being from here, so I didn’t know how big it is. I’m from Chicago, but it was really important to me to get this win,” said USC senior Nick Rakocevic on the importance of beating crosstown rival UCLA.
Heading into the new year, non-conference play is officially over for the (11-2) Trojans after defeating the (3-12) Florida Gulf Coast Eagles 71-58.
The Trojans continued fighting on through the early portion of the season handling Long Beach State with ease in a 87-76 victory.
USC are 5-0 for the first time since the 2017 season when the Trojans got off to a 14-0. 6’9 Freshman Onyeka Okongwu powered to the Trojans to a 91-84 victory over the Pepperdine Waves with a career-high 33 point performance, scoring more than 20 points for the third time in five games. Okongwu lived at the free-throw line all night converting 17-of-21 at the line, which got him settled into his groove for the night. Avoiding foul trouble has been an issue for the Freshman early in the season, but he played more disciplined and showed growth against Pepperdine.
Fans at the Galen Center witnessed not one, but two of their Trojans reach the 1,000 point milestone in a 84-66 victory over South Dakota State.
Many positive implications surround the USC Trojans mens basketball team’s 80-57 defeat of Arizona. It shows how the program improved over the years. The Wildcats had defeated the Trojans for their last five consecutive matchups.