UC Santa Barbara @ Southern California preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 27, 2016 ) UC Santa Barbara 72, Southern California 96

USC, which played just seven games in the first 34 days of the season, now finds itself in a stretch where it will play six games over a 12-day period. The Trojans, who started the busy span with a 82-59 victory over Santa Clara on Thursday, next host UC Santa Barbara on Sunday night.

The victory over the Broncos snapped a three-game losing streak for the Trojans, who went 22 days between wins. You had to go all the way to the day before Thanksgiving -- an 88-63 victory over Lehigh on Nov. 22 -- for the last time USC left the court victorious. The Trojans opened the Santa Clara game with a 10-0 run, went into halftime ahead 37-22 and led by as many as 24 points in the second half. "Losing three in a row is kinda tough," sophomore forward Nick Rakocevic said. "Hopefully, now we get on a little streak and guys who were in slumps have kind of figured it out."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT UC SANTA BARBARA (8-2): The Gauchos, who finished just 6-22 during an injury and academic issue-plagued 2016-17 season, have turned things around in dramatic fashion, bringing a seven-game winning streak into Sunday night's contest. Sophomore guard Max Heidegger leads four players in double figures with a 23.4 average and has connected on 31-of-71 3-pointers (43.7 percent). Senior forward Leland King II, a 6-7 transfer from Nevada, is averaging a double-double (19.2 points, 10.0 rebounds) while shooting 46.7 percent from 3-point range, and junior forward Jalen Canty (11.3 points) and junior guard Gabe Vincent (10.9) also are averaging in double figures.

ABOUT USC (5-3): The 6-11 Rakocevic made his first start of the season against Santa Clara because USC coach Andy Enfield said guard Elijah Stewart was late for team functions during the week, and he responded with a double-double, finishing with career highs in points (16) and rebounds (10). He added to an already imposing USC front line of 6-11 junior Chimezie Metu, a potential NBA lottery pick who finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, and 6-10 "small" forward Bennie Boatwright, who also had a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Metu (16.1 points, 8.5 rebounds) leads the team in scoring and rebounding with Boatwright (15.4 points), senior point guard Jordan McLaughlin (13.8) and Stewart (10.5) also averaging in double figures.

TIP-INS

1. USC leads the series 13-1 and won the last meeting, 96-72, at the Galen Center on Nov, 27, 2016.

2. McLaughlin, who finished with 10 assists and nine points in the win over Santa Clara, now has 511 career assists, second only in school history to Brandon Granville who has 779 (1999-2002).

3. The Trojans have 50 blocks in their eight games and they enter the weekend ranked 12th in the nation in blocked shots per game with a 6.3 average.

PREDICTION: USC 81, UC Santa Barbara 73