2017–18 USC Trojans men's basketball team

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2017–18 USC Trojans men's basketball
NIT, Second Round
ConferencePac-12 Conference
Record24–12 (12–6 Pac-12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaGalen Center
Seasons
2017–18 Pac-12 Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 12 Arizona † 14 – 4   .778 27 – 8   .771
USC 12 – 6   .667 24 – 12   .667
UCLA 11 – 7   .611 21 – 12   .636
Utah 11 – 7   .611 23 – 12   .657
Stanford 11 – 7   .611 19 – 16   .543
Oregon 10 – 8   .556 23 – 13   .639
Washington 10 – 8   .556 21 – 13   .618
Colorado 8 – 10   .444 17 – 15   .531
Arizona State 8 – 10   .444 20 – 12   .625
Oregon State 7 – 11   .389 16 – 16   .500
Washington State 4 – 14   .222 12 – 19   .387
California 2 – 16   .111 8 – 24   .250
† Pac-12 Tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll
USC recruit Charles O'Bannon Jr. at the 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.

The 2017–18 USC Trojans men's basketball team represented the University of Southern California during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by fifth-year head coach Andy Enfield, they played their home games at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California as members of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 24–12, 12–6 in Pac-12 play to finish in second place. As the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12 tournament, they defeated Oregon State in the quarterfinals and Oregon in the semifinals before losing to Arizona in the championship game. They were one of the last four teams not selected for the NCAA tournament and as a result earned a No. 1 seed in the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated UNC Asheville in the first round before losing to Western Kentucky in the second round.

Previous season

The Trojans finished the 2016–17 season 26–10, 10–8 in Pac-12 play to finish in a tie for fifth place; their 26 victories set a program record. They defeated Washington in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to UCLA. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Providence in the First Four and SMU in the First Round before losing in the Second Round to Baylor.

FBI investigation

Main article: 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball corruption scandal

On September 26, federal prosecutors in New York announced charges of fraud and corruption against 10 people involved in college basketball, including USC assistant coach Tony Bland.[1] The charges allege that Bland and others allegedly received benefits from financial advisers and others to influence student-athletes to retain their services.[2] Following the announcement, USC placed Bland on administrative leave and announced that it would conduct an internal investigation of the matter.[3] Potential 2018 NBA draft pick De'Anthony Melton would be indefinitely suspended in relation to the scandal in January before leaving USC on February 21, 2018.

Off-season

Departures

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for Departure
Charles Buggs PF 6'9" 230 RS Sr. Arlington, TX Graduated
Samer Dhillon SF 6'8" 210 Sr. Sacramento, CA Walk-on; Graduated

2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jordan Usher
SF 		Marietta, GA Wheeler HS 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) May 10, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
Victor Uyaelunmo
C 		Miami, FL Calvary Christian HS 6 ft 10.75 in (2.10 m) 213 lb (97 kg) Sep 11, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 82
Charles O'Bannon Jr.
G/F 		Las Vegas, NV Bishop Gorman HS 6 ft 5.75 in (1.97 m) 196 lb (89 kg) Dec 13, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:5/5 stars   ESPN grade: 90
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "USC 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "2017 USC Trojans Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.
  • "2017 USC 24/7 Sports Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 27, 2017.

Future recruits

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Kevin Porter Jr.
SG 		Seattle, WA Rainier Beach HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Feb 7, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Elijah Weaver
PG 		Oldsmar, FL Oldsmar Christian School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Oct 23, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
J'Raan Brooks
PF 		Seattle, WA Garfield HS 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Mar 11, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2017–18 USC Trojans men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Shaqquan Aaron 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Jr Louisville Seattle, Washington
G/F 1 Jordan Usher 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr Joseph Wheeler HS Canton, Georgia
G 2 Jonah Mathews 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Santa Monica HS Santa Monica, California
F 3 Harrison Henderson 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) So South Grand Prairie HS Dallas, Texas
F 4 Chimezie Metu 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr Lawndale HS Lawndale, California
G 5 Derryck Thornton 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS So Duke Los Angeles, California
G 11 Jordan McLaughlin 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Etiwanda HS Etiwanda, California
G 12 Devin Fleming (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Valley View HS Moreno Valley, California
G 13 Charles O'Bannon Jr. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Bishop Gorman HS Las Vegas, Nevada
G 21 Kurt Karis (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) RS Sr Chicago State Northbrook, Illinois
F 25 Bennie Boatwright Injured 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 227 lb (103 kg) Jr Village Christian Mission Hills, California
G 30 Elijah Stewart 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Westchester DeRidder, Louisiana
C 31 Nick Rakocevic 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) So St. Joseph HS Chicago, Illinois
C 34 Victor Uyaelunmo 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Calvary Christian HS Miami, Florida
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: November 2, 2017

  • Sophomore guard De'Anthony Melton was officially ruled ineligible to play for the remainder of the season by USC amid an FBI bribery investigation.[4] He later left USC on February 21, 2018 for the 2018 NBA draft.
  • Feb. 16, 2018 - Sophomore forward Bennie Boatwright to miss the remainder of the season with a left leg injury.[5]

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 10, 2017*
7:00 pm, P12N 		No. 10 Cal State Fullerton W 84–42  1–0
  18 – Metu   10 – Metu   6 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (6,327)
Los Angeles, CA
November 13, 2017*
8:00 pm, P12N 		No. 10 North Dakota State W 75–65  2–0
  28 – Boatwright   8 – Tied   4 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (2,402)
Los Angeles, CA
November 19, 2017*
6:00 pm, SECN 		No. 10 at Vanderbilt W 93–89 OT 3–0
  35 – McLaughlin   8 – Metu   4 – McLaughlin  Memorial Gymnasium (8,284)
Nashville, TN
November 22, 2017*
7:00 pm, P12N 		No. 10 Lehigh W 88–63  4–0
  19 – Boatwright   11 – Boatwright   7 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (3,125)
Los Angeles, CA
November 26, 2017*
7:00 pm, P12N 		No. 10 No. 16 Texas A&M L 59–75  4–1
  13 – Metu   8 – Metu   7 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (5,347)
Los Angeles, CA
December 2, 2017*
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		No. 14 at SMU L 55–72  4–2
  13 – Metu   8 – Boatwright   7 – McLaughlin  Moody Coliseum (6,918)
Dallas, TX
December 8, 2017*
7:30 pm, ESPN2 		No. 25 vs. Oklahoma
Basketball Hall of Fame Classic 		L 83–85  4–3
  23 – Stewart   11 – Metu   9 – McLaughlin  Staples Center (6,456)
Los Angeles, CA
December 14, 2017*
7:00 pm, P12N 		Santa Clara W 82–59  5–3
  21 – Boatright   11 – Tied   10 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (2,712)
Los Angeles, CA
December 17, 2017*
5:00 pm, P12N 		UC Santa Barbara W 98–87  6–3
  31 – Metu   12 – Rakocevic   19 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (3,519)
Los Angeles, CA
December 19, 2017*
8:00 pm, P12N 		Princeton
Diamond Head Classic non-bracket game 		L 93–103 OT 6–4
  25 – Metu   10 – Metu   8 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (4,041)
Los Angeles, CA
December 22, 2017*
5:00 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Akron
Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals 		W 84–53  7–4
  20 – Stewart   9 – Rakocevic   6 – Mclaughlin  Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, HI
December 23, 2017*
1:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Middle Tennessee
Diamond Head Classic semifinals 		W 89–84  8–4
  13 – Metu   6 – Metu   5 – McLaughlin  Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, HI
December 25, 2017*
3:00 pm, ESPN2 		vs. New Mexico State
Diamond Head Classic championship 		W 77–72  9–4
  33 – Boatwright   7 – Boatwright   8 – McLaughlin  Stan Sheriff Center 
Honolulu, HI
Pac-12 regular season
December 29, 2017
7:30 pm, P12N 		Washington L 81–88  9–5
(0–1) 		 26 – Metu   10 – Metu   8 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (3,104)
Los Angeles, CA
December 31, 2017
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		Washington State W 89–71  10–5
(1–1) 		 17 – Stewart   7 – Boatwright   11 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (2,518)
Los Angeles, CA
January 4, 2018
7:30 pm, P12N 		at California W 80–62  11–5
(2–1) 		 19 – Rakoocevic   7 – 3 tied   8 – McLaughlin  Haas Pavilion (6,915)
Berkeley, CA
January 7, 2018
7:00 pm, FS1 		at Stanford L 76–77  11–6
(2–2) 		 20 – Metu   11 – Boatwright   7 – McLaughlin  Maples Pavilion (4,087)
Stanford, CA
January 10, 2018
7:00 pm, FS1 		Colorado W 70–58  12–6
(3–2) 		 20 – McLaughlin   13 – Metu   3 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (3,669)
Los Angeles, CA
January 14, 2018
5:00 pm, ESPNU 		Utah W 84–67  13–6
(4–2) 		 17 – Mathews   8 – Boatwright   7 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (4,822)
Los Angeles, CA
January 18, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Oregon W 75–70  14–6
(5–2) 		 18 – 2 tied   9 – McLaughlin   7 – McLaughlin  Matthew Knight Arena (9,202)
Eugene, OR
January 20, 2018
5:00 pm, P12N 		at Oregon State W 74–67  15–6
(6–2) 		 18 – Stewart   6 – Mathews   6 – McLaughlin  Gill Coliseum (6,301)
Corvallis, OR
January 24, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPNU 		Stanford W 69–64  16–6
(7–2) 		 18 – Mathews   10 – Metu   9 – McLaughlin  Galen Canter (4,116)
Los Angeles, CA
January 28, 2018
1:00 pm, P12N 		California W 77–59  17–6
(8–2) 		 16 – Tied   8 – Tied   10 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (6,144)
Los Angeles, CA
February 3, 2018
3:00 pm, ESPN2 		at UCLA
Rivalry 		L 79–82  17–7
(8–3) 		 20 – Stewart   12 – Metu   8 – McLaughlin  Pauley Pavilion (12,837)
Los Angeles, CA
February 8, 2018
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		at Arizona State L 78–80  17–8
(8–4) 		 19 – Rakocevic   8 – Boatwright   4 – McLaughlin  Wells Fargo Arena (12,377)
Tempe, AZ
February 10, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN 		at No. 13 Arizona L 67–81  17–9
(8–5) 		 18 – Metu   9 – Rakocevic   5 – McLaughlin  McKale Center (14,644)
Tucson, AZ
February 15, 2018
6:00 pm, ESPN2 		Oregon W 72–70  18–9
(9–5) 		 20 – Mathews   10 – Metu   11 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (4,322)
Los Angeles, CA
February 17, 2018
8:00 pm, FS1 		Oregon State W 72–59  19–9
(10–5) 		 28 – Stewart   7 – Metu   11 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (4,542)
Los Angeles, CA
February 21, 2018
7:30 pm, FS1 		at Colorado W 75–64  20–9
(11–5) 		 21 – Metu   6 – Rakocevic   7 – McLaughlin  Coors Events Center (7,008)
Boulder, CO
February 24, 2018
11:30 am, P12N 		at Utah W 74–58  21–9
(12–5) 		 14 – Tied   9 – Metu   5 – McLaughlin  Jon M. Huntsman Center (13,598)
Salt Lake City, UT
March 3, 2018
7:15 pm, ESPN 		UCLA
Rivalry 		L 72–83  21–10
(12–6) 		 19 – McLaughlin   10 – Metu   4 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (10,258)
Los Angeles, CA
Pac-12 Tournament
March 8, 2018
6:00 pm, P12N 		(2) vs. (10) Oregon State
Quarterfinals 		W 61–48  22–10
  22 – Metu   11 – Metu   4 – McLaughlin  T-Mobile Arena (13,194)
Paradise, NV
March 9, 2018
8:30 pm, FS1 		(2) vs. (6) Oregon
Semifinals 		W 74–54  23–10
  27 – Mathews   11 – Rakocevic   9 – McLaughlin  T-Mobile Arena (16,596)
Paradise, NV
March 10, 2018
7:00 pm, FS1 		(2) vs. (1) No. 15 Arizona
Championship 		L 61–75  23–11
  13 – Rakocevic   6 – Rakocevic   9 – McLaughlin  T-Mobile Arena (16,501)
Paradise, NV
NIT
March 13, 2018*
8:00 pm, ESPN2 		(1) (8) UNC Asheville
First Round – USC Bracket 		W 103–98 2OT 24–11
  26 – McLaughlin   19 – Rakocevic   13 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (1,614)
Los Angeles, CA
March 19, 2018*
8:30 pm, ESPN2 		(1) (4) Western Kentucky
Second Round – USC Bracket 		L 75–79  24–12
  20 – Stewart   10 – Rakocevic   13 – McLaughlin  Galen Center (2,130)
Los Angeles, CA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Pacific Time.

Ranking movement

See also: 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. RV=Received votes.
Poll Pre Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 Post Final
AP 10 10 10 14 25 NR N/A*
Coaches 11 10 18 25 NR

References

  1. ^ "NCAA coaches among 10 arrested for corruption". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  2. ^ "FBI arrests four college basketball assistants on charges of fraud". USA TODAY. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  3. ^ "USC hires former FBI director Freeh, Tony Bland placed on leave". CollegeBasketballTalk. September 26, 2017. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  4. ^ Fenno, Nathan. "Amid bribery probe, USC will keep De'Anthony Melton out of lineup for rest of the season". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 15, 2018.
  5. ^ Boone, Kyle. "Southern Cal's Bennie Boatwright to miss remainder of season with knee injury". CBSSports.com. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
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