Washington St. @ Southern California preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 1, 2017 ) Washington St. 64, Southern California 87

USC, picked to finish second in the Pac-12 Conference preseason poll, will try to avoid getting swept at home in the opening series of league play when its hosts Washington State on Sunday night. The Trojans, who return all five starters from a squad that advanced to the Round of 32 in last spring's NCAA Tournament, were upset by Washington 88-81 in their Pac-12 opener Friday night.

One plus for Andy Enfield's sputtering squad is that the loss to the Huskies was played on the same night that the football team, which commands much more attention around campus, was getting drubbed by Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The Trojans, who are just 5-5 in their last 10 games after rising as high as No. 10 in the national rankings, lost their conference opener for the first time in four years. Washington shot a season-high 67.3 percent, including 73.1 percent in the second half, and Enfield didn't mince words about the caliber of defense his squad played. "Our defense was terrible," Enfield told the Los Angeles Times. "We played soft. ... I was very disappointed in some of the upperclassmen defensively. They have to go home and look in the mirror and come back and play better basketball if we're going to have a chance to win games in this league."

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (8-5, 0-1 Pac-12): The Cougars had no answer for guard Aaron Holiday in their Pac-12-opening loss at UCLA on Friday as the junior guard finished a career-high 33 points and a 11 rebounds in the 96-82 victory over the Cougars. "Tough place for us to open up with this young of a team against UCLA and USC," Washington State coach Ernie Kent said. "We're going to have to play them sometime, and I thought my guys battled hard for having to be out there." Junior forward Robert Franks, who leads the team in scoring (18.2 points per game), almost had a double-double in the loss to the Bruins, finishing with 20 points and eight rebounds, while sophomore guard Malachi Flynn, the only other Cougar averaging in double figures (15.2), finished with nine points and four assists.

ABOUT USC (9-5, 0-1): Chimezie Metu, a 6-11 forward and potential NBA lottery pick, had his fifth double-double of the season and 12th in his career in the loss to the Huskies, finishing with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and is averaging 21.6 points and 8.0 rebounds over the last seven games. He leads the team in both scoring (18.6) and rebounding (8.1) and also has 21 blocks. Junior forward Bennie Boatwright (17.1 points), senior point guard Jordan McLaughlin (13.1) and senior guard Elijah Stewart (12.1) also are averaging in double figures.

TIP-INS

1. McLaughlin, who tied the Pac-12 record for assists (19) in a game earlier this season against UC Santa Barbara, ranks fifth nationally with 7.8 per game.

2. Metu has registered 40 dunks in 14 games this season. USC's opponents have combined for 31 dunks.

3. Washington State F Drick Bernstine, who leads the team in rebounding (7.6) and is fifth in scoring (6.7), has missed the last two games with a knee injury and watched Friday night's loss at UCLA in a sweatsuit.

PREDICTION: USC 96, Washington State 74