USC at Arizona State
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Where: Desert Financial Arena, Tempe, Ariz.
TV/Radio: ESPNU/AM 790
Records: USC 13-6, 5-3 in Pac-12; Arizona State 15-4, 6-2
USC latest result: The Trojans fell behind early and never got back into it in an 81-66 defeat at the hands of No. 11 Arizona. USC’s defense wasn’t quite up to standard, allowing the Wildcats to shoot 48.3%. But the Trojans created 12 steals and won the turnover battle 18-12. Where USC came up short was on the offensive side of the ball. USC made 4 of 17 attempts from 3-point range while Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson combined to go 7 for 25 from the floor despite being the only Trojans to score in double digits.
Arizona State latest result: The Sun Devils led by five at halftime, then proceeded to be outscored by 17 in the second half of a Thursday night loss to No. 5 UCLA. ASU allowed the Bruins to shoot 50% from the floor and grab 11 offensive rebounds, while committing 18 turnovers that led to the Sun Devils’ downfall in the 74-62 defeat.
Matchup to watch: Kobe Johnson vs. Desmond Cambridge Jr. Cambridge has led the Sun Devils in scoring their past four games. While he can be a streaky shooter, the 6-foot-4 senior is capable of catching fire and the past three games has made 45.5% of his 3-pointers. Johnson has turned into one of USC’s most reliable defenders as a sophomore and will play a big role in keeping Cambridge in check.
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USC trend to watch: USC has lost its last three road games and three out of five total. It would be big to end the road losing streak Saturday against Arizona State. With the rematch against UCLA looming next week, the Trojans don’t want to be fighting to avoid a 2-5 stretch to close out January.