2017–18 USC Trojans men's basketball team American college basketball season
USC recruit Charles O'Bannon Jr. at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game . The 2017–18 USC Trojans men's basketball team represented the University of Southern California during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . Led by fifth-year head coach Andy Enfield , they played their home games at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California as members of the Pac-12 Conference . They finished the season 24–12, 12–6 in Pac-12 play to finish in second place. As the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament , they defeated Oregon State in the quarterfinals and Oregon in the semifinals before losing to Arizona in the championship game. They were one of the last four teams not selected for the NCAA tournament and as a result earned a No. 1 seed in the National Invitation Tournament , where they defeated UNC Asheville in the first round before losing to Western Kentucky in the second round.
Previous season
The Trojans finished the 2016–17 season 26–10, 10–8 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for fifth place; their 26 victories set a program record. They defeated Washington in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to UCLA . They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Providence in the First Four and SMU in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Baylor .
FBI investigation
On September 26, federal prosecutors in New York announced charges of fraud and corruption against 10 people involved in college basketball , including USC assistant coach Tony Bland.[ 1] [ 2] [ 3] 2018 NBA draft pick De'Anthony Melton would be indefinitely suspended in relation to the scandal in January before leaving USC on February 21, 2018.
Off-season
Departures
Name
Pos.
Height
Weight
Year
Hometown
Reason for Departure
Charles Buggs PF
6'9"
230
RS Sr.
Arlington, TX
Graduated
Samer Dhillon SF
6'8"
210
Sr.
Sacramento, CA
Walk-on; Graduated
2017 recruiting class
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Jordan Usher SF
Marietta, GA
Wheeler HS
6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
210 lb (95 kg)
May 10, 2016
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :ESPN :
Victor Uyaelunmo C
Miami, FL
Calvary Christian HS
6 ft 10.75 in (2.10 m)
213 lb (97 kg)
Sep 11, 2016
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :ESPN :
Charles O'Bannon Jr. G/F
Las Vegas, NV
Bishop Gorman HS
6 ft 5.75 in (1.97 m)
196 lb (89 kg)
Dec 13, 2016
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :ESPN :
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:
Future recruits
College recruiting information (2018)
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Kevin Porter Jr. SG
Seattle, WA
Rainier Beach HS
6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Feb 7, 2017
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :ESPN :
Elijah Weaver PG
Oldsmar, FL
Oldsmar Christian School
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
Oct 23, 2017
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :ESPN :
J'Raan Brooks PF
Seattle, WA
Garfield HS
6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
Mar 11, 2018
Star ratings :Scout :Rivals :247Sports :ESPN :
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note : In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:
Roster
2017–18 USC Trojans men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G 0
Shaqquan Aaron 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
RS Jr Louisville
Seattle, Washington
G/F 1
Jordan Usher 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg)
Fr Joseph Wheeler HS
Canton, Georgia
G 2
Jonah Mathews 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
So Santa Monica HS
Santa Monica, California
F 3
Harrison Henderson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg)
So South Grand Prairie HS
Dallas, Texas
F 4
Chimezie Metu 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg)
Jr Lawndale HS
Lawndale, California
G 5
Derryck Thornton 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
RS So Duke
Los Angeles, California
G 11
Jordan McLaughlin 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg)
Sr Etiwanda HS
Etiwanda, California
G 12
Devin Fleming (W)
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg)
Jr Valley View HS
Moreno Valley, California
G 13
Charles O'Bannon Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg)
Fr Bishop Gorman HS
Las Vegas, Nevada
G 21
Kurt Karis (W)
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
RS Sr Chicago State
Northbrook, Illinois
F 25
Bennie Boatwright 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 227 lb (103 kg)
Jr Village Christian
Mission Hills, California
G 30
Elijah Stewart 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
Sr Westchester
DeRidder, Louisiana
C 31
Nick Rakocevic 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg)
So St. Joseph HS
Chicago, Illinois
C 34
Victor Uyaelunmo 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg)
Fr Calvary Christian HS
Miami, Florida
Head coach Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) Ineligible(W) Walk-on Roster
Sophomore guard De'Anthony Melton was officially ruled ineligible to play for the remainder of the season by USC amid an FBI bribery investigation.[ 4] 2018 NBA draft .
Feb. 16, 2018 - Sophomore forward Bennie Boatwright to miss the remainder of the season with a left leg injury.[ 5]
Schedule and results
Date
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance)
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2017 *7:00 pm, P12N
No. 10
Cal State Fullerton W 84–42 1–0
18 – Metu
10 – Metu
6 – McLaughlin
Galen Center Los Angeles, CA
November 13, 2017 *8:00 pm, P12N
No. 10
North Dakota State W 75–65 2–0
28 – Boatwright
8 – Tied
4 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (2,402)Los Angeles, CA
November 19, 2017 *6:00 pm, SECN
No. 10
at Vanderbilt
W 93–89 OT
3–0
35 – McLaughlin
8 – Metu
4 – McLaughlin
Memorial Gymnasium Nashville, TN
November 22, 2017 *7:00 pm, P12N
No. 10
Lehigh W 88–63 4–0
19 – Boatwright
11 – Boatwright
7 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (3,125)Los Angeles, CA
November 26, 2017 *7:00 pm, P12N
No. 10
No. 16 Texas A&M
L 59–75 4–1
13 – Metu
8 – Metu
7 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (5,347)Los Angeles, CA
December 2, 2017 *7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 14
at SMU
L 55–72 4–2
13 – Metu
8 – Boatwright
7 – McLaughlin
Moody Coliseum Dallas, TX
December 8, 2017 *7:30 pm, ESPN2
No. 25
vs. Oklahoma Basketball Hall of Fame Classic L 83–85 4–3
23 – Stewart
11 – Metu
9 – McLaughlin
Staples Center Los Angeles, CA
December 14, 2017 *7:00 pm, P12N
Santa Clara W 82–59 5–3
21 – Boatright
11 – Tied
10 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (2,712)Los Angeles, CA
December 17, 2017 *5:00 pm, P12N
UC Santa Barbara W 98–87 6–3
31 – Metu
12 – Rakocevic
19 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (3,519)Los Angeles, CA
December 19, 2017 *8:00 pm, P12N
Princeton Diamond Head Classic non-bracket gameL 93–103 OT
6–4
25 – Metu
10 – Metu
8 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (4,041)Los Angeles, CA
December 22, 2017 *5:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. Akron Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals W 84–53 7–4
20 – Stewart
9 – Rakocevic
6 – Mclaughlin
Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI
December 23, 2017 *1:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. Middle Tennessee Diamond Head Classic semifinals W 89–84 8–4
13 – Metu
6 – Metu
5 – McLaughlin
Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI
December 25, 2017 *3:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. New Mexico State Diamond Head Classic championship W 77–72 9–4
33 – Boatwright
7 – Boatwright
8 – McLaughlin
Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI
Pac-12 regular season
December 29, 2017 7:30 pm, P12N
Washington L 81–88 9–5
26 – Metu
10 – Metu
8 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (3,104)Los Angeles, CA
December 31, 2017 6:00 pm, ESPN2
Washington State W 89–71 10–5
17 – Stewart
7 – Boatwright
11 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (2,518)Los Angeles, CA
January 4, 2018 7:30 pm, P12N
at California
W 80–62 11–5
19 – Rakoocevic
7 – 3 tied
8 – McLaughlin
Haas Pavilion Berkeley, CA
January 7, 2018 7:00 pm, FS1
at Stanford
L 76–77 11–6
20 – Metu
11 – Boatwright
7 – McLaughlin
Maples Pavilion Stanford, CA
January 10, 2018 7:00 pm, FS1
Colorado W 70–58 12–6
20 – McLaughlin
13 – Metu
3 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (3,669)Los Angeles, CA
January 14, 2018 5:00 pm, ESPNU
Utah W 84–67 13–6
17 – Mathews
8 – Boatwright
7 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (4,822)Los Angeles, CA
January 18, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2
at Oregon
W 75–70 14–6
18 – 2 tied
9 – McLaughlin
7 – McLaughlin
Matthew Knight Arena Eugene, OR
January 20, 2018 5:00 pm, P12N
at Oregon State
W 74–67 15–6
18 – Stewart
6 – Mathews
6 – McLaughlin
Gill Coliseum Corvallis, OR
January 24, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPNU
Stanford W 69–64 16–6
18 – Mathews
10 – Metu
9 – McLaughlin
Galen Canter (4,116)Los Angeles, CA
January 28, 2018 1:00 pm, P12N
California W 77–59 17–6
16 – Tied
8 – Tied
10 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (6,144)Los Angeles, CA
February 3, 2018 3:00 pm, ESPN2
at UCLA Rivalry L 79–82 17–7
20 – Stewart
12 – Metu
8 – McLaughlin
Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA
February 8, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2
at Arizona State
L 78–80 17–8
19 – Rakocevic
8 – Boatwright
4 – McLaughlin
Wells Fargo Arena Tempe, AZ
February 10, 2018 7:15 pm, ESPN
at No. 13 Arizona
L 67–81 17–9
18 – Metu
9 – Rakocevic
5 – McLaughlin
McKale Center Tucson, AZ
February 15, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN2
Oregon W 72–70 18–9
20 – Mathews
10 – Metu
11 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (4,322)Los Angeles, CA
February 17, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1
Oregon State W 72–59 19–9
28 – Stewart
7 – Metu
11 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (4,542)Los Angeles, CA
February 21, 2018 7:30 pm, FS1
at Colorado
W 75–64 20–9
21 – Metu
6 – Rakocevic
7 – McLaughlin
Coors Events Center Boulder, CO
February 24, 2018 11:30 am, P12N
at Utah
W 74–58 21–9
14 – Tied
9 – Metu
5 – McLaughlin
Jon M. Huntsman Center Salt Lake City, UT
March 3, 2018 7:15 pm, ESPN
UCLA Rivalry L 72–83 21–10
19 – McLaughlin
10 – Metu
4 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (10,258)Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 Tournament
March 8, 2018 6:00 pm, P12N
(2)
vs. (10) Oregon State Quarterfinals W 61–48 22–10
22 – Metu
11 – Metu
4 – McLaughlin
T-Mobile Arena Paradise, NV
March 9, 2018 8:30 pm, FS1
(2)
vs. (6) Oregon Semifinals W 74–54 23–10
27 – Mathews
11 – Rakocevic
9 – McLaughlin
T-Mobile Arena (16,596)Paradise, NV
March 10, 2018 7:00 pm, FS1
(2)
vs. (1) No. 15 Arizona Championship L 61–75 23–11
13 – Rakocevic
6 – Rakocevic
9 – McLaughlin
T-Mobile Arena (16,501)Paradise, NV
NIT
March 13, 2018 *8:00 pm, ESPN2
(1)
(8) UNC Asheville First Round – USC Bracket W 103–98 2OT
24–11
26 – McLaughlin
19 – Rakocevic
13 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (1,614)Los Angeles, CA
March 19, 2018 *8:30 pm, ESPN2
(1)
(4) Western Kentucky Second Round – USC Bracket L 75–79 24–12
20 – Stewart
10 – Rakocevic
13 – McLaughlin
Galen Center (2,130)Los Angeles, CA
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Pacific Time .
Ranking movement
Ranking movementLegend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV=Received votes.
Poll
Pre
Wk 2
Wk 3
Wk 4
Wk 5
Wk 6
Wk 7
Wk 8
Wk 9
Wk 10
Wk 11
Wk 12
Wk 13
Wk 14
Wk 15
Wk 16
Wk 17
Wk 18
Post
Final
AP
10
10
10
14
25
NR
N/A*
Coaches
11
10
18
25
NR
References
^ "NCAA coaches among 10 arrested for corruption" . ESPN.com . Retrieved September 26, 2017 .^ "FBI arrests four college basketball assistants on charges of fraud" . USA TODAY . Retrieved September 26, 2017 .^ "USC hires former FBI director Freeh, Tony Bland placed on leave" . CollegeBasketballTalk . September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017 .^ Fenno, Nathan. "Amid bribery probe, USC will keep De'Anthony Melton out of lineup for rest of the season" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved January 15, 2018 . ^ Boone, Kyle. "Southern Cal's Bennie Boatwright to miss remainder of season with knee injury" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved February 17, 2018 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Helms national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics
