USC Men's Basketball: Trojans face Ivy League foe Yale

Yale Bulldogs (5-4) vs. USC Trojans (7-2)

Time: 1:00 P.T.

T.V and Radio: Pac-12 Network, ESPN 710

Previewing the Yale Bulldogs

In his 16th year with the program last year, Yale head coach James Jones led the Bulldogs to their best season in almost 70 seasons. However, the Bulldogs lost in the final regular season game of the season to Harvard and missed the playoffs. Yale may be just 5-4 through the first nine games this season but two of those losses were two teams currently ranked in the top 25, one of which was the defending national champions, the Duke Blue Devils. Reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Justin Sears (16.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.3 blocks per game) is off to a good start this season. Sears ranks in the top 20 in the nation in offensive rebounds per game (4.1 per game, 18th in the country). In fact, Yale as a team are exceptional on the glass, averaging 12 more rebounds per game than their opponents (12th in the NCAA). Sophomore guard Makai Mason is making the most of his first year as a starter as he leads the team in scoring at 16.6 points per game. This will be the second all-time meeting between the schools with the first meeting coming in the 1988 Rainbow Classic in Hawaii. USC won 84-60.