Villanova @ USC Game Overview
VILL vs USCRecords
Head-To-HeadLast 10
| Date | Home | Result | ATS | O/U |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 28, '13 | VILL |
94 - 79
|
VILL -12.0 | o146.5 |
VILL vs USC Preview
Last Meeting ( Nov 28, 2013 ) USC 79, Villanova 94
For opponents Villanova and Southern California, facing off in Thursday's quarterfinal round of the inaugural College Basketball Crown in Las Vegas, the opening-round of the tournament provided opportunities in the unknown.
For Villanova (20-14), interim coach Mike Nardi capitalized on the opportunity to score his first career head-coaching win as he oversees the program's transition from Kyle Neptune to the incoming Kevin Willard.
"This is a very special place that means a lot to a lot of people," Nardi said following Villanova's 85-64 blowout of Colorado on Tuesday, via the university athletic website. "I've grown up here as a student, as a man and as a player. Having the opportunity to coach guys like these who understand that means a lot."
Eric Dixon also leveraged the fledgling College Basketball Crown to become the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,257 points. Dixon posted 22 points in the opening round.
For USC (17-17), its 89-60 romp vs. Tulane on Tuesday marked an opportunity for some Trojans who did not see much playing time in the regular season to make a closing impact.
With two of the team's leading scorers in 2024-25 out -- 14.1-point per game scorer Wesley Yates III due to a foot injury and 11.8-point per game scoring Chibuzo Agbo for unspecified reasons -- Matt Knowling and Clark Slajchert moved into the starting lineup.
Slajchert scored 10 points in his second double-figure-point performance of the season. Knowling shot 3-of-4 from the floor for seven points and grabbed six rebounds.
The two seniors complemented fellow upperclassman Rashaun Agee, who notched 27 points on 10-of-12 shooting. USC coach Eric Musselman named Agee the Trojans player of the game in a video posted on the team's YouTube account.
"Listen to this: season-(best) first-half defense (for) points allowed," Musselman noted of USC's 24-point yield. "Great job."
The Trojans' season average of 75 points per game ties for 263rd nationally entering Wednesday. They will look to continue Tuesday's turnaround from that number against a Villanova offense that, behind Dixon's 23 points per game, averages 73.7 as a team.
Wooga Poplar's 14.7 points per game are second among Wildcat scorers. He went for a game-high 24 in Villanova's rout of Colorado.
--Field Level Media
VILL vs USCInjury report
Villanova's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No injuries to report. | ||||
USC's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Rice | G | Questionable - Shoulder( Oct 12, '25) | Oct 12, '25 | |
| Rice suffered a shoulder injury and is uncertain to take the court for the Trojans. | ||||
| A. Arenas | G | Out - Knee( Jul 22, '25) | Jul 22, '25 | |
| Arenas is recovering from a torn meniscus and will not take the court for the Trojans. He will be re-evaluated in January. | ||||
VILL vs USCStats
Offense vs Defense
Key Stats League ranks in parenthesis
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46.4 | (111) | FG% | (308) | 45.7 |
| 25.7 | (209) | FGM | (262) | 26.3 |
| 55.4 | (300) | FGA | (167) | 57.5 |
| 39.6 | (5) | 3P% | (136) | 32.9 |
| 9.6 | (43) | 3PM | (138) | 7.3 |
| 24.3 | (105) | 3PA | (155) | 22.2 |
| 79.4 | (6) | FT% | (335) | 75.2 |
| 12.6 | (238) | FTM | (294) | 15.1 |
| 15.9 | (321) | FTA | (252) | 20.1 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 44.3 |
| 25.9 |
| 58.5 |
| 33.8 |
| 7.7 |
| 22.9 |
| 71.8 |
| 13.6 |
| 19.0 |
More Stats
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30.4 | (252) | REB | (59) | 28.9 |
| 7.7 | (263) | OREB | (160) | 8.4 |
| 22.7 | (30) | DREB | (319) | 20.4 |
| 12.6 | (270) | AST | (338) | 15.3 |
| 9.9 | (22) | TO | (143) | 12.4 |
| 1.3 | (116) | AST/TO | (277) | 1.2 |
| 5.7 | (9) | STL | (237) | 6.9 |
| 2.3 | (43) | BLK | (238) | 3.4 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 31.7 |
| 8.8 |
| 22.9 |
| 13.5 |
| 12.0 |
| 1.1 |
| 6.8 |
| 3.3 |
Points
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 73.7 | (169) | Points | (283) | 75.0 |
| 35.1 | (125) | 1st Half | (302) | 35.1 |
| 38.6 | (125) | 2nd Half | (302) | 39.4 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 73.1 |
| 34.4 |
| 38.1 |