After finding themselves ranked for the first time in a few years last week, the USC Trojans dropped two straight up in Oregon. Now, the Trojans head back home, a place where they are 11-0 on the season and welcome the Washington and Washington State. USC will face the Cougars on Thursday at 7:30 P.T. and Huskies on Saturday at Noon. The Trojans split the series up north in early January.
Update on the Cougars:
WSU is tied for last in the Pac-12 Conference with a 1-6 conference record (they are 9-10 overall on the season.) WSU's lone victory was a 85-78 win over UCLA on January 3rd. When the Trojans faced off against the Cougars on New Year's Day, it was all USC as they jumped out to a 54-37 halftime lead and went on to win, 90-77. USC had five players in double figures as Nikola Jovanovic led the team with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Josh Hawkinson, the Pac-12's leading rebounder, led the Cougars with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Update on the Huskies:
Perhaps the biggest surprise in the Pac-12 this year has been the play of the Huskies. Washington is tied for first in the conference with a 5-2 record (13-6 overall) and if the season ended today, I would give Lorenzo Romar the Coach of the Year Award. The Huskies have eight freshman on their team and their future is bright. Senior guard Andrew Andrews leads the conference with 21.7 points per game and has been on fire in conference play, averaging over 25 points per game and shooting 85% from the free-throw line. When the two teams met on January 3rd, USC held a double-digit lead in the second half until Julian Jacobs went down with an injury. After Jacobs left and didn't return, the Huskies went on a run and held on to win, 87-85 behind 29 points from Dejounte Murray. USC killed themselves with 21 turnovers.
Both games can be seen on the Pac-12 Networks.