Southern California @ California preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 3, 2019 ) California 73, Southern California 82

USC freshman wing Kevin Porter Jr. was expected to make an immediate impact this season, but injuries and a brief suspension have limited the NBA prospect to 14 games. The Seattle native is hoping for a strong finish with the struggling Trojans, who look to end a three-game losing streak Saturday when they visit California.

A five-star recruit who averaged 27 points as a high school senior, Porter scored 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting in Wednesday’s 79-76 loss to Stanford and is shooting 35 percent from the field in his last six games. Coach Andy Enfield said Porter still has an opportunity to play a key role for the Trojans, who are in a four-way tie for sixth in the Pac-12. “We just need him to be more efficient on offense,” Enfield told reporters. “We have a lot of games left, and we’re going to play the guys that are playing well and making plays and are efficient on both sides of the ball. We would love for some of our guys including Kevin to shoot higher percentages, have higher assist-to-turnover ratios and play team basketball and help us win.” Porter and the Trojans need to be careful not to overlook Cal, which is riding a 13-game losing streak but forced overtime Wednesday against UCLA before losing 75-67.

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

ABOUT USC (13-12, 6-6 Pac-12): Bernie Boatwright scored 19 points against Stanford while Nick Rakocevic added 15 points and 11 rebounds, but the Trojans blew a 14-point lead and fell to 2-8 away from the Galen Center. Enfield is looking for more consistent play from guards Derryck Thornton, Jonah Mathews and Elijah Weaver, who combined for 28 points against Stanford but committed five of the team’s 15 turnovers. Boatwright averages a team-high 17.7 points and 6.6 rebounds for USC, which plays four of its final six games on the road.

ABOUT CAL (5-19, 0-12): One of the few bright spots for the Bears has been freshman center Connor Vanover, who had 12 points, six rebounds and two blocks in the loss to UCLA and has scored in double figures in four straight games. Sophomore forward Justice Sueing averages 14.9 points to lead the Bears, who have lost 29 of their last 30 conference games but shown improvement over the past two weeks. “We’re getting closer,” coach Wyking Jones told reporters. “The guys are still fighting, they’re still competing, they’re still playing together.”

TIP-INS

1. USC has won the last three meetings against Cal – including an 82-73 victory at the Galen Center on Jan. 3.

2. Cal’s scoring margin over the last four games is minus-7 compared to minus-16.1 over the previous eight games.

3. Rakocevic scored a career-high 27 points on 12-of-14 shooting in January’s win over the Bears.

PREDICTION: USC 74, Cal 67