The USC Trojans look for their first Pac-12 Conference win as they host the Arizona State Sun Devils Thursday night at Galen Center. The game is a battle of teams with two of the worst records in the conference (only Utah, at 3-10, is worse) and somewhat mercifully will not be televised.
USC (5-10, 0-2) lost six of their seven games in December, but look to turn the page with a new month. Arizona State (4-9, 0-1) has similarly struggled and has lost their last four games. ASU has lost six times by six points or less, the same number as USC.
So far in conference play USC senior Dewayne Dedmon has made nine of 12 field goal attempts (75%) in conference play, while averaging 9.0 points and 4.0 rebounds in two games. Maurice Jones leads the Trojans in scoring on the season at 14.4 points per game, but in two Pac-12 games is averaging 11.0 points and has made just eight of 30 field goals (26.7%).
Arizona State is led by a pair of 6'4" guards in Keala King and Trent Lockett. The Compton native and Mater Dei grad King leads the Sun Devils in scoring (13.7 points per game) and assists (3.3 per game) while also pulling down 4.9 rebounds per contest. Lockett averages 13.4 points per game and leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. The duo have combined to make 41.4% of their three-point attempts (24 of 58) this season.
The Trojans beat the Sun Devils in both meetings last season.
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