Updates: Basketball

With sophomore forward Taj Gibson seemingly in foul trouble or fouling out of every game this season, it’s extremely welcome news that freshman 7-footer Mamadou Diarra will likely get his first playing time since training camp tonight against NAIA’s Fresno Pacific. Diarra underwent hernia surgery on November 5.  Freshman guard Marcus Simmons, out since the South Carolina […]

When the Trojans fell to Kansas last Sunday, in part by failing to keep up with the Jayhawks in the second half, they left an open question: Could USC ever hang with the nation’s best teams over a full 40 minutes? That question was answered in the affirmative on Tuesday night during the Jimmy V. […]

The Trojans (6-2) have a rare date in Madison Square Garden as they take on the second-ranked Memphis Tigers (6-0) in the nationally-televised Jimmy V. Classic at 6:00p PST tonight.
The matchup
The Trojans certainly didn’t have much time to recover from their four-point loss to Kansas on Sunday, as they must now face perhaps an even […]

You heard it here third: Scott Wolf is reporting that Fox Sports is reporting that the Trojans have landed their first men’s basketball recruit for the class of 2009. Junior Evan Smith, a 6′7″ forward at Oaks Christian HS, has verbally committed to USC. Smith is the son of former UCLA basketball player Gavin […]

The Trojans were the better team on the court for the first ten minutes, but the Jayhawks proved superior over the full 40, as fourth-ranked Kansas (7-0) withstood a late USC push and won, 59-55, at a sold-out Galen Center. USC (6-2) led by as many as ten points in the first half, and carried […]

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 […]

The Trojans (6-1) won their sixth straight game–and picked up their first home victory of the season–with an impressive 66-55 victory over the Oklahoma Sooners (5-2) Thursday night at the Galen Center. Aside from a multi-minute lull in the middle of the second half when USC seemed to lose its intensity and allowed the Sooners […]

Can Sooner guard Tony Crocker stop the Trojans’ OJ Mayo? Can USC find anyone to defend Oklahoma big men Blake Griffin and Longar Longar? These and other issues are discussed in these final pre-game articles.
Oklahoma-Southern Cal Preview (ESPN)
Sooners present a big obstacle for Trojans (LA Times)
Stiff non-conference tests begin tonight (Daily Trojan)
USC […]

The Trojans (5-1) finally return to the Galen Center to play just their second home game of the year when they host the Oklahoma Sooners (5-1) at 8:00p on Thursday night as part of the Big 12/Pac-10 Hardwood Series.
The matchup
Last year’s 16-15 Sooner squad was the first Oklahoma team to fail to reach the NCAA […]

Although OJ Mayo acknowledged on Tuesday that he has been bothered by a sore toe, he is certain to play on Thursday against Oklahoma. Not so for some of his teammates. Sophomore Kyle Austin, who has been held out of recent games with a sore back, was scheduled to undergo an MRI on Tuesday night. […]