The Trojans (6-1) face their toughest test of this young season when they host the fourth-ranked Kansas Jayhawks (6-0) on Sunday morning at 11:00a at the Galen Center.

The matchup
The Trojans and Jayhawks met last year at Allen Fieldhouse, with USC staying close for the early portion of the game but ultimately falling, 72-62. Kansas was 33-5 last season, losing to UCLA in the third round of the NCAA Tournament. This season, the Jayhawks return 13 lettermen and four starters, and are undefeated in the early going, including an overtime victory over Arizona last weekend. The team’s leading scorer, point guard Sherron Collins, is out with a fractured foot, and guard Brandon Rush is still adjusting to his recent return to the lineup after sitting out four games with a knee injury. But Kansas still boasts a high-scoring, great-shooting, and very deep lineup that includes 6′9″ sophomore forward Darrell Arthur (14.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and guard Mario Chalmers (12.2 ppg), with senior and former Trojan Rodrick Stewart stepping into the starting lineup in place of Collins. The one aspect missing from this year’s Jayhawks that the Trojans had to cope with in last year’s game is athletic center Julian Wright, who has moved on to the NBA and has been replaced on Kansas by the much less athletic–but still 6′11″–Sasha Kaun.

USC has won six straight games, including consecutive victories over Southern Illinois and Oklahoma that saw the emergence of small forward Davon Jefferson, who averaged 21.5 points in the two games. Sophomore forward Taj Gibson has been a bit of a disappointment so far this season, averaging just 10.3 points and quickly fouling out in the Oklahoma game.

Injury report
Kyle Austin (back), Mamadou Diarra (hernia), and Marcus Simmons (ankle) continue to sit out with injuries. Two additional Trojan guards were banged up in Thursday night’s victory over Oklahoma but are expected to play. Daniel Hackett sustained painful injuries to both calves, but was treated with anti-inflammatories. And Angelo Johnson bruised his knee.

TV/radio
Sunday’s game will be televised live regionally on FSN Prime Ticket. The game will also be broadcast live on 710 AM.

Official game press release (Official USC site)
Preview: #4 Kansas vs. #22 USC (Rivals)
Others pick up the slack for USC’s Gibson (LA Times)
Stewart’s role expands before rematch with USC (Lawrence Journal-World)