USC Men’s Basketball: The High-Ranking Trojans Prove Their Worth

The tenth-ranked Trojans were able to open up their season with the largest home win since 2012. The Trojans took on Cal Sate Fullerton in their home opener and was able to walk away with an impressive 84-42 victory.

The Trojans start out this season with the highest ranking that they have held since the 1974-75 season. This might be due to the fact that the Trojans were able to retain most of last year’s team, which won a school record 26-wins. Chimezie Metu led the Trojans, finishing with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks.

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Six of those points came from downtown, where Metu was 2-2 on the night. The Trojans defense was menacing, finishing with nine blocks, six steals, and forcing 21 turnovers. The Trojans were also able to keep the shooting percentages down as well.

Forcing Cal Sate to a 15.4% field goal percentage in the first half, also only hitting 20% of their outside shots. The second half was just as tough for Cal Sate as the first, still shooting less than 30% from the field, while no shots from beyond the arc.

The Trojans had the opposite offensive experience. Five Trojans players were able to finish with over 10 points, including Duke transfer Derryck Thornton, who was able to finish with 11 points, while going 3-4 from downtown.

The Trojans looks to add another notch to the win column as the host the NDSU Bison tonight.