USC Men’s Basketball Will Face No. 24 Wisconsin At Home

Men’s Basketball | January 17, 2025

LOS ANGELES – USC Men’s Basketball (11-6, 3-3 Big Ten) returns to Galen Center in hopes of extending their win streak to three as they take on No. 24 Wisconsin. USC is 2-0 against the Badgers in Los Angeles, although the Trojans have an overall record of 2-2 against Wisconsin.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Trojans came home after playing two games in the Midwest to take on the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. USC was first on the board and made sure to never let up the lead. The Trojans kept one of the top offensive teams in the country from surpassing them in points. Even though the Hawkeyes went on a small run during the second half, it wasn’t enough to steal the win from the Trojans as USC came out with the 99-89 win.
 
Desmond Claude had another great performance for the Trojans as he secured 25 points and nine assists. During this game, Claude also recorded his 1,000th career point. Three other Trojans finished in the double digits as well, and they were Saint Thomas, Wesley Yates III and Chibuzo Agbo. Thomas was second on the team in scoring with 24 points, Yates was close behind with 21, and Agbo rounded out the double-digit scoring with 18. Rashaun Agee had a great defensive game as he snatched a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
SCOUTING THE BADGERS

• No. 24 Wisconsin is 14-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten conference play this season. However, Wisconsin is 1-2 when playing away from home in 2024-25. The Badgers are on a six-game winning streak as they most recently took down Rutgers, Minnesota and Ohio State.
• Wisconsin leads the entire nation from the free throw line as the team is shooting at 85.4 percent. The Badgers have made 316 of their 370 free throw attempts. Wisconsin ranks 14th in the country for free throws made per game (18.6).
• Graduate guard John Tonje has proven to be a solid scorer for the Badgers. The Nebraska native is leading Wisconsin in points per game with 18.2 per game, which ranks sixth among all Big Ten players. Tonje has also been a threat at drawing fouls. He ranks 15th in the nation in free throws attempted (125), fourth in free throws made (117), and eighth in free throw percentage (93.6 percent).
• Sophomore guard John Blackwell is second behind Tonje in points as he is averaging 15.4 per game. Blackwell leads the Badgers in minutes as he contributes an average of 30.4 per game.
• Wisconsin has some of the best shooters in the Big Ten. Senior guard Kamari McGee is one of the best three-point shooters in the Big Ten as he is shooting at a 55.6 percent clip from beyond the arc, which is the top number in the conference according to KenPom. Sophomore forward Nolan Winter steps up for the Badgers with two-pointers as he leads the Big Ten in two-point field goal percentage as he shoots at a 73.6 percent clip from close range.

 
TOPPING THE BIG TEN
When it comes to Big Ten Conference play, one player has been making his mark, and that is Desmond Claude. He currently leads all players in the conference in points as he is averaging 22.0 per game through six conference games.
 
THE REAL AGEE
Rashaun Agee has come into his own in these last two games. During both of these games, he led the Trojans in rebounding as he grabbed eight boards against the No. 1 rebounding team in the country in Illinois. He was also the first Trojan to grab double-digit rebounds in a game this season as he snagged 10 against Iowa. He has also got the job done on offense these last two games as he shot at 52.9 percent from the field while averaging 11 points a game.
 
1,000-POINT CLUB
When it comes to scoring, the Trojans have five players who already have 1,000 career points and two others who are within 100 of hitting that career marker. Currently, Josh Cohen has the most career points on the team with 1,765 while Bryce Pope is close behind with 1,637. Clark Slajchert also has 1,000 career points, sitting at 1,042. Chibuzo Agbo also hit this milestone earlier this season on his birthday against Saint Mary’s as he now has 1,140 points on the season. Desmond Claude is the most recent Trojan to hit this milestone as he grabbed his 1,000th point against Iowa. There are two Trojans who are closing in on 1,000 points, and they are Matt Knowling and Saint Thomas. Both are within 100 points of this achievement.
 
GAME DAY PROMOTIONS
There are plenty of things happening on Game Day at the Galen Center tomorrow. First, the team will celebrate Armenian Heritage Day. Along with that, the Trojans will be collecting items to be donated to those affected by the fires. Fans can donate toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, packaged underwear, packaged socks, packaged shirts, dry shampoo or feminine hygiene products at the Galen Center South doors before the game.
 
WHEREABOUTS
This game between the Trojans and the Badgers will be at Galen Center on Saturday, Jan. 18, beginning at 12 p.m. For those who can’t make it to Los Angeles, they can watch on the Big Ten Network or listen through ESPN LA 710.