LSU vs USC: 2019-20 college basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
LSU and USC meet in an intriguing nonconference matchup; can the Tigers get back on track or will the Trojans pick up their best win of the year?
TV schedule: Saturday, December 21, 9:00 pm ET. FS1
Arena: Staples Center in Los Angeles, California
Coming off a Sweet Sixteen bid and a near recruiting scandal, LSU (7-3) expects to contender near the top of the SEC once more. Their last time out they faltered, dropping a 74-63 contest at home to ETSU. They’ll head to southern California looking to regain momentum after their four-game winning streak was snapped.
A high-scoring team, the Tigers are led by five double-digit scorers, though none are as important as senior guard Skylar Mays (15.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg), who played a big role on last season’s team. Last month, Mays had 30 points in a close loss to a then-ranked Utah State squad. A crew of talented forwards will also play a role for the Tigers, including sophomore forward Emmitt Williams (15.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg) and sophomore forward Darius Days (13.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg). Williams was one of the few bright spots against ETSU, leading the way with 16 points and 11 rebounds and has played solid ball lately.
LSU is 41st in KenPom but sits at 14th in offensive efficiency. They haven’t played a schedule full of world beaters (and that ETSU loss still stings), but the offense has certainly been impressive in the early going. The Tigers struggled to limit second-chance opportunities against ETSU and will need to improve on that to win in California.
Across the court, USC (9-2) is off to a solid start this season, though they’ve played a schedule that lacks any truly impressive wins. They were bodied by Marquette last month, but have taken care of business against teams like Nevada and TCU.
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The clear impact player to watch for the Trojans is freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu (18.4 ppg, 9.0 rpg), who just had 28 points and 12 rebounds in their most recent win against Long Beach State. He and fellow top prospect freshman guard Isaiah Mobley (9.3 ppg, 6.6 rpg) have been great additions to this team, though it’ll be interesting to see their ceiling in Pac-12 play. It’s also important to keep track of senior guard Jonah Matthews (12.4 ppg) and senior forward Nick Rakocevic (11.8, 8.2 rpg) on a lineup full of talent.
USC is only 67th in KenPom and would have some serious work to do in Pac-12 play to make the NCAA Tournament. Like LSU, they play at a somewhat fast pace and have a great offense, sitting currently at 47th in offensive efficiency. One thing that stands out is the Trojans have had a weak 3-point defense this season, something this LSU team will take advantage of early and often.
For the Tigers, hitting those outside shots and playing smart offense is the key to getting back on track. The ETSU team that upended them may actually be better than this USC team, though clearly playing a road game is never easy and they’ll need to gain control of the game early. For the Trojans, they’ll need a strong defensive effort or this could turn into another 100-point outing like they gave up to Marquette.
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On paper, this matchup looks like it favors LSU, but it’ll be intriguing to see how they respond to their beat down earlier this week. USC can steal this game at home if they hit their shots and play smart defense. However, I envision LSU coming out on fire and playing angry, which doesn’t bode well for a Trojans team still looking for a quality win.