Utah @ Southern California preview

Utah at Southern California

Last Meeting ( Feb 24, 2018 ) Southern California 74, Utah 58

After a 2-2 start, USC has won four of its last five Pac-12 games to gain a share of the three-way second-place tie in the conference at the halfway mark. The Trojans tip off the second half of the slate with a two-game homestand, beginning with Wednesday night’s date with Utah.

In its last game, at Washington State on Saturday night, USC jumped out to a 14-2 lead and never trailed en route to a 93-84 victory. Nick Rakocevic had 25 points and 13 rebounds while Jonah Mathews added 20 points as the Trojans shot 58.9 percent, including 10-of-18 from 3-point range. “I thought our guys played with a lot of energy to start the game,” USC coach Andy Enfield said in his post-game news conference. “… We’ve won four of our last five, and in the four games we won, we had a lot of energy.” Utah, meanwhile, is in need of a boost after a disappointing homestand featuring losses to Oregon (78-72) and Oregon State (81-72).

TV: 11 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

ABOUT UTAH (11-10, 5-4 Pac-12): After trailing the visiting Beavers Saturday by as many as 14 points, the Runnin’ Utes closed to within 71-67 with 2:13 remaining, but Oregon State outscored the hosts 10-5 the rest of the way. Freshman forward Timmy Allen had a season-high 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting in the game to pace Utah, and has scored at least 13 points in five of his last six outings, averaging 15.8 points and 7.5 rebounds over that span. Allen is averaging 11.4 points on the season to join guard Sedrick Barefield (16.3) and forward Donnie Tillman (10.9) in double figures for the Utes, who are tops in the conference in field-goal percentage (47.0) and 3-point accuracy (37.6).

ABOUT USC (13-9, 6-3): With his performance in Pullman, Wash., Saturday, the 6-11, 225-pound Rakocevic leads all Pac-12 players with 11 double-doubles on the season and ranks in the conference’s top 10 in six statistical categories overall. He leads the Trojans with his 9.9-rebound average and joins forward Bennie Boatwright (17.3 points) and Mathews (12.6) with double-digit scoring averages at 16.2 per game. Guard Derryck Thornton is averaging an even five assists for USC, which paces the conference with 16.5 assists per outing.

TIP-INS

1. Utah leads the series 22-19 but USC swept both meetings a year ago, winning 84-67 in L.A. and 74-58 in Salt Lake City.

2. The Trojans rank a few percentage points behind the Utes in 3-point shooting at 37.4 while Barefield (63) and Mathews (53) rank 1-2 in the conference in total treys made on the season.

3. USC is 11-2 at home this season, including a 5-0 mark in Pac-12 play, while Utah is 3-3 on the road, including a 3-1 mark in conference contests.

PREDICTION: USC 82, Utah 75