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USC @ Ohio State Game Overview
USC vs OSURecords
Head-To-HeadLast 10
| Date | Home | Result | ATS | O/U |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 26, '25 | USC |
87 - 82
|
OSU -1.5 | o150.0 |
USC vs OSU Preview
Last Meeting ( Feb 26, 2025 ) Ohio St. 87, USC 82
The Big Ten regular season runs through March 8, but it gets late early for bubble teams eyeing a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Games between bubble teams are particularly crucial, so plenty will be on the line when Southern California (18-6, 7-6 Big Ten) plays Ohio State (15-8, 7-6) on Wednesday in Columbus.
For the Buckeyes, it's an opportunity to bounce back from a humbling 82-61 loss to No. 2 Michigan on Sunday. It's no disgrace to lose to the once-beaten Wolverines, who during an eight-game winning streak have seven double-digit wins, but the Buckeyes were outhustled and outmuscled in front of their largest home crowd of the season.
The Buckeyes, who have split their past 10 games, awoke Tuesday morning to being No. 39 in the NET rankings. Considering they were No. 41 on Selection Sunday last year and missed the NCAA Tournament for the third straight March, the pressure could be mounting on the Bucks and second-year coach Jake Diebler.
"This is a team that is resilient. This is a team that has responded all year long and so I have great confidence in what our response will be moving forward," Diebler said. "(Michigan) was a first where we didn't handle the in-game adversity as well as we've handled it most of the year. That's on us. We'll be better at that. We'll be better next game for that."
Ohio State veteran Bruce Thornton (team-high 19.2 points per game) led the Buckeyes' effort against their rivals with 16 points and six rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Trojans (No. 48 in the NET on Tuesday) are on the upswing with three straight wins and have been bolstered by recent additions.
Freshman Alijah Arenas, who missed the first 18 games with a knee injury, scored a game-high 24 points and hit the winning basket with 0.7 seconds left in a 77-75 victory Sunday at Penn State.
The son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas debuted on Jan. 21, one month after graduate transfer guard Kam Woods signed with the Trojans and made his first appearance for his sixth school (counting junior college) in six seasons.
Woods had 13 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals against Penn State.
"(He) leads our team in steals, and he joined us just a couple of weeks ago," Trojans coach Eric Musselman said. "We were severely lacking in creating extra possessions through defensive creativity on steals, and Kam Woods has changed our entire season since he came."
--Field Level Media
USC vs OSUInjury report
USC's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A. Dickerson | G | Out - Hip( Dec 05, '25) | Dec 05, '25 | |
| Dickerson is dealing with a hip injury and will not take the court for the Trojans. He will miss three months. | ||||
| R. Rice | G | Out - Shoulder( Nov 24, '25) | Nov 24, '25 | |
| Rice suffered a shoulder injury and will not take the court for the Trojans. He will miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season. | ||||
Ohio State's Injuries
| Player | POS | Status | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P. Johnson | G | Questionable - Lower Leg( Mar 03, '26) | Mar 03, '26 | |
| Johnson is dealing with a lower leg injury and is uncertain to take the court for the Buckeyes. | ||||
| B. Noel | F | Questionable - Foot( Jan 06, '26) | Jan 06, '26 | |
| Noel is dealing with a foot injury and is uncertain to take the court for the Buckeyes. | ||||
| M. Herro | G | Out - Redshirt( Nov 06, '25) | Nov 06, '25 | |
| Herro will redshirt and miss the remainder of the 2025-26 season. | ||||
| J. Ojianwuna | F | Questionable - Knee( Oct 27, '25) | Oct 27, '25 | |
| Ojianwuna is recovering from a knee injury and is uncertain to take the court for the Buckeyes. | ||||
USC vs OSUStats
Offense vs Defense
Key Stats League ranks in parenthesis
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 47.2 | (152) | FG% | (138) | 43.2 |
| 27.6 | (199) | FGM | (201) | 25.7 |
| 58.5 | (256) | FGA | (251) | 59.5 |
| 32.0 | (305) | 3P% | (41) | 30.9 |
| 6.2 | (324) | 3PM | (145) | 7.6 |
| 19.5 | (315) | 3PA | (250) | 24.7 |
| 71.9 | (196) | FT% | (258) | 74.3 |
| 19.8 | (17) | FTM | (203) | 14.3 |
| 27.6 | (9) | FTA | (183) | 19.3 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 44.6 |
| 26.4 |
| 59.1 |
| 33.7 |
| 7.9 |
| 23.5 |
| 72.0 |
| 14.6 |
| 20.4 |
More Stats
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34.0 | (149) | REB | (110) | 29.0 |
| 9.8 | (132) | OREB | (286) | 9.6 |
| 24.3 | (58) | DREB | (179) | 19.4 |
| 15.5 | (118) | AST | (197) | 13.4 |
| 12.7 | (265) | TO | (266) | 11.0 |
| 1.2 | (198) | AST/TO | (250) | 1.2 |
| 6.4 | (294) | STL | (342) | 5.3 |
| 5.7 | (176) | BLK | (306) | 3.1 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 31.9 |
| 9.2 |
| 22.7 |
| 14.0 |
| 12.1 |
| 1.2 |
| 6.9 |
| 3.4 |
Points
| OFFENSE |
Off. Rank | Stat | Def. Rank | DEFENSE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 81.2 | (137) | Points | (195) | 73.3 |
| 36.8 | (267) | 1st Half | (104) | 35.0 |
| 42.6 | (267) | 2nd Half | (104) | 37.1 |
| League Avg. |
|---|
| 75.3 |
| 35.5 |
| 39.2 |