Pepperdine @ Southern California preview

Last Meeting ( Dec 11, 2016 ) Pepperdine 67, Southern California 93

After winning its first road game of the season in convincing fashion on Saturday at Nevada, unbeaten USC returns home for two games starting with a Tuesday night game with Pepperdine. The Trojans have won all of their first four games by at least 10 points.

The 76-66 victory over Steve Alford's Wolf Pack was particularly impressive because it marked just the fourth time in 48 games that the visiting team left Lawlor Events Center with a victory. Senior forward Nick Rakocevic, a preseason first-team All-Pac-12 pick, led the way with 24 points and 11 rebounds and guards Daniel Utomi, a transfer from Akron, and Elijah Weaver added 12 and 11 points, respectively, as the Trojans held Nevada to just 32.8 percent shooting and finished with a 42-10 edge in points in the paint. "I think we came out here and used our size advantage and played super aggressive," the 6-11 Rakocevic told the Daily Trojan. "We played good defense and didn't turn the ball over." Pepperdine, which opened the season with an 87-71 loss at Cal, comes in on a three-game win streak after winning at Abilene Christian, 73-69, on Saturday.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT PEPPERDINE (3-1): The Waves, who also defeated UC Irvine, 77-73, and won at Cal State Northridge, 94-82, will be trying for their first four-game win streak since January of 2016 and have already equaled last season's road win total of two. Junior point guard Colbey Ross is averaging 17.0 points per game and ranks fifth nationally in assists with an average of 8.3 per contest. Kessler Edwards, a 6-foot-8 sophomore who joined Ross on the preseason All-West Coast Conference team, leads the team in scoring (17.8) and rebounds (8.3) while older brother Kameron Edwards has scored 20 or more points in the last three games.

ABOUT USC (4-0): Rakocevic picked up the third Pac-12 Player of the Week award of his career on Monday after averaging 25.5 points and 13.5 rebounds in wins over South Dakota State (84-66) and Nevada. He leads the team in scoring (16.5) and steals (3.0) and is second in rebounding (9.5). Oneyka Okongwu, a 6-9 true freshman and a likely one-and-done, is second in scoring (14.5) and leads the team in rebounding (10.5) and blocks (11) while senior guard Jonah Mathews (10.8) also is scoring in double figures.

TIP-INS

1. USC leads the all-time series with Pepperdine, 5-2, and won the last meeting, 93-67, on Dec. 11, 2016 in Los Angeles, blocking a school-record 14 shots in the process.

2. Freshman G Ethan Anderson, the reigning L.A. City Section Player of the Year, ranks second in the Pac-12 and 18th nationally in assists with an average of 6.8 per game.

3. Rakocevic has 22 career double-doubles and also leads the Pac-12 in steals with 12.

PREDICTION: USC 90, Pepperdine 78