Middle Tennessee St. @ Southern California preview

For 20 minutes on Friday night in Honolulu, USC played like the team that was picked to finish second in the Pac-12 preseason poll, shooting 60.7 percent in the second half of an 84-53 win over Akron. The Trojans look to build on their impressive rally on Saturday when they face Middle Tennessee State in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic at the Stan Sherriff Center in Honolulu.

Senior guard Elijah Stewart scored a game-high 20 points to lead the Trojans, who trailed by four at the break against the Zips but opened the second half on a 20-5 run and were 7-of-11 from 3-point range after intermission. The shorthanded Trojans are playing without dynamic guard De’Anthony Melton, who did not make the trip to Honolulu and has yet to play this season while the school investigates his eligibility. Guard Jonah Mathews, who missed the team’s previous game with a sprained right ankle, returned against Akron and had 13 points and three assists in 23 minutes. The sophomore appeared to reinjure his ankle in the victory but hopes to be available against Middle Tennessee State, which opened tournament play by beating Princeton 69-67 on a jumper by senior guard Giddy Potts with 2.3 seconds left.

TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE (8-2): One of the top 3-point shooters in school history, Potts is averaging 12.5 points and 4.1 rebounds. Graduate transfer Nick King averages a team-high 22.4 points and 6.5 rebounds from his power forward spot to lead Middle Tennessee State, whose resume includes wins over SEC foes Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. The Blue Raiders boast one of the most experienced rosters in the country with four senior starters, including 6-10 forward Brandon Walters, who is shooting 55.4 percent from the field.

ABOUT USC (7-4): Forward Bennie Boatwright, the team’s second-leading scorer, had two points and two rebounds in 13 minutes off the bench against Akron after missing two games because of a wart on his right foot. Forward Chimezie Metu registered 16 points and eight boards against the Zips, while 6-11 sophomore Nick Rakocevic added nine points and nine rebounds while battling foul trouble. Senior point guard Jordan McLaughlin recorded six assists in the victory and has a total of 73 over the last eight contests.

TIP-INS

1. USC won the inaugural Diamond Head Classic in 2009.

2. Middle Tennessee State has gone 12-9 against Power 5 teams since the start of the 2011-12 season.

3. USC guard Derryck Thornton, who has missed the last six games with a shoulder injury, hopes to return for the start of Pac-12 play on Dec. 29.

PREDICTION: USC 79, Middle Tennessee State 74