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(19)USC (2-0, 0-0 away) @ Seton Hall (2-0, 2-0 home)
Southern California will spend much of this season trying to get out from under O.J. Mayo's shadow. Opening with a lengthy winning streak is the quickest way to achieve that.
The 19th-ranked Trojans look keep their perfect record intact Thursday when they face Seton Hall for the first time in the Puerto Rico Tip-off.
Although he only spent one season with the team before moving to the NBA, Mayo had a large impact on USC's program. He led the Trojans with 20.7 points and 3.3 assists while adding 4.5 rebounds per game. Mayo's scoring average was the team's highest since Harold Miner put up a school-record 26.3 in 1992.
Replacing Mayo's production won't be easy, but the Trojans have featured a balanced offense through two games with four players averaging in double figures.
After a relatively easy win over UC Irvine in the season opener, USC improved to 2-0 for the first time in eight years with a 73-60 victory over New Mexico State on Tuesday. Taj Gibson tied his career high with 22 points, had 10 rebounds and five of his team's 10 blocked shots for the Trojans, who opened 8-0 in the 2000-01 season.
"We just flowed into the offense," Gibson said. "Guys found me and I was able to finish my baskets. My whole goal was to encourage guys. The whole thing is getting them better for the later part of the season."
Dwight Lewis added 16 points and highly touted freshman DeMar DeRozan had seven after scoring 14 in his college debut.
"You're going to have bad games, but you can't focus on it," DeRozan said. "I was focused on coming out on one of their best scorers. My shot wasn't falling, but I didn't dwell on it."
USC faces another 2-0 team in Seton Hall, which had little trouble beating St. Francis, N.Y. and Columbia.
The winner of this matchup will take on either Memphis or Chattanooga on Friday, while the losers will square off the same day.
Gibson won't join his teammates in San Juan until Thursday morning after attending classes on Wednesday.
"We're looking forward to going to Puerto Rico and seeing how better we can be," he said.
With Mayo gone, Gibson and Lewis will be counted to carry much of the offensive burden for USC and both have been impressive. Gibson leads the team in scoring (19.5), rebounding (8.0) and blocks (5.0) while Lewis ranks second in scoring (17.5) and fourth in rebounding (5.5).
Seton Hall rode 21 points - including four 3-pointers - from sophomore guard Jeremy Hazell en route to a 71-50 victory over Columbia on Sunday.
Regardless of how good the Pirates have looked in their first two games, the Trojans should present a far more difficult challenge. The 6-foot-9 Gibson and 6-7 DeRozan will be particularly tough to contain for a Seton Hall team that features a likely three-guard starting lineup and only one starter taller than 6-6.
The Pirates were 1-5 against ranked teams last season, losing the last five following an early win over No. 23 Virginia.
Southern California will spend much of this season trying to get out from under O.J. Mayo's shadow. Opening with a lengthy winning streak is the quickest way to achieve that.
The 19th-ranked Trojans look keep their perfect record intact Thursday when they face Seton Hall for the first time in the Puerto Rico Tip-off.
Although he only spent one season with the team before moving to the NBA, Mayo had a large impact on USC's program. He led the Trojans with 20.7 points and 3.3 assists while adding 4.5 rebounds per game. Mayo's scoring average was the team's highest since Harold Miner put up a school-record 26.3 in 1992.
Replacing Mayo's production won't be easy, but the Trojans have featured a balanced offense through two games with four players averaging in double figures.
After a relatively easy win over UC Irvine in the season opener, USC improved to 2-0 for the first time in eight years with a 73-60 victory over New Mexico State on Tuesday. Taj Gibson tied his career high with 22 points, had 10 rebounds and five of his team's 10 blocked shots for the Trojans, who opened 8-0 in the 2000-01 season.
"We just flowed into the offense," Gibson said. "Guys found me and I was able to finish my baskets. My whole goal was to encourage guys. The whole thing is getting them better for the later part of the season."
Dwight Lewis added 16 points and highly touted freshman DeMar DeRozan had seven after scoring 14 in his college debut.
"You're going to have bad games, but you can't focus on it," DeRozan said. "I was focused on coming out on one of their best scorers. My shot wasn't falling, but I didn't dwell on it."
USC faces another 2-0 team in Seton Hall, which had little trouble beating St. Francis, N.Y. and Columbia.
The winner of this matchup will take on either Memphis or Chattanooga on Friday, while the losers will square off the same day.
Gibson won't join his teammates in San Juan until Thursday morning after attending classes on Wednesday.
"We're looking forward to going to Puerto Rico and seeing how better we can be," he said.
With Mayo gone, Gibson and Lewis will be counted to carry much of the offensive burden for USC and both have been impressive. Gibson leads the team in scoring (19.5), rebounding (8.0) and blocks (5.0) while Lewis ranks second in scoring (17.5) and fourth in rebounding (5.5).
Seton Hall rode 21 points - including four 3-pointers - from sophomore guard Jeremy Hazell en route to a 71-50 victory over Columbia on Sunday.
Regardless of how good the Pirates have looked in their first two games, the Trojans should present a far more difficult challenge. The 6-foot-9 Gibson and 6-7 DeRozan will be particularly tough to contain for a Seton Hall team that features a likely three-guard starting lineup and only one starter taller than 6-6.
The Pirates were 1-5 against ranked teams last season, losing the last five following an early win over No. 23 Virginia.
