Who’s Playing
USC Trojans @ Saint Mary’s Gaels
Current Records: USC 5-1, Saint Mary’s 6-0
How To Watch
What to Know
USC has played every game this season on their home court, but they’ll have to hit the road on Thursday. They will face off against the Saint Mary’s Gaels at 9:00 p.m. ET at Acrisure Arena. The Trojans are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 79.7 points per game this season.
On Sunday, USC earned an 80-69 victory over Grambling State.
USC’s success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Chibuzo Agbo led the charge by scoring 21 points along with two steals. The team also got some help courtesy of Josh Cohen, who went 7 for 8 en route to 18 points plus six rebounds.
Meanwhile, Saint Mary’s waltzed into their match on Saturday with five straight wins… but they left with six. They walked away with an 80-66 win over the Mustangs.
Saint Mary’s relied on the efforts of Mitchell Saxen, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Luke Barrett, who dropped a double-double on 19 points and ten rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Saxen a new career-high in offensive rebounds (11). Another player making a difference was Augustas Marciulionis, who had 18 points in addition to five assists and three steals.
Saint Mary’s smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now pulled down at least 11 offensive rebounds in ten consecutive contests dating back to last season.
USC’s victory bumped their record up to 5-1. As for Saint Mary’s, their win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-0.
Thursday’s game is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: USC has been crazy accurate this season, having drained 50% of their field goals per game. However, it’s not like Saint Mary’s struggles in that department as they’ve made 47.7% of their field goals this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
