Men’s basketball beats Villanova in exhibition match

The USC men’s basketball team took on the powerhouse Villanova Wildcats in an exhibition game Friday night, winning a 72-61 battle behind strong performances from redshirt senior guard Daniel Utomi and freshman forward Onyeka Okongwu. It was the two squads’ first meeting since Villanova won 94-79 in 2013, and only the third all time. 

Utomi finished with 15 points and made 5 of 7 3-point attempts, while Okongwu posted 15 points and 10 rebounds with two blocks.

Ecstatic fans took in the Trojans’ victory alongside the USC Song Girls, whose recent ban from basketball games was overturned just this week after USC came under scrutiny for the move. 

The Trojans started guards sophomore Elijah Weaver and senior Jonah Matthews, freshman forwards Onyeka Okongwu and Isaiah Mobley and senior center Nick Rakocevic. Mobley and Rakocevic were named to the Malone and Abdul-Jabbar award lists this preseason, given to the top power forward and center in the country, respectively. However, this won’t necessarily be the group that starts the season opener.

Out of the gate, the Trojans struggled on the defensive glass, but were able to settle in. However, they continued to dribble too much and were consequently plagued by turnovers, with 11 in the first half compared to Villanova’s six. 

USC struggled to get shots up against the Wildcats’ smothering defense, but Weaver scored the first 5 USC points of the contest, including a 3-pointer. Villanova was unable to capitalize on open looks in the first half despite fantastic ball movement while USC struggled just to get open shots. 

Once Utomi came in for Rakocevic, USC’s offense got going. Utomi knocked down his first four 3-point attempts.

Freshman guard and high-flier Ethan Anderson had a nice jab step leading to a powerful two-hand jam, a full court outlet pass to Rakocevic that led to a foul and played aggressively on both sides of the ball.

“He’s different. Offense, defense, he’s just got it,” Matthews said of the freshman, while Utomi called Anderson a “dog.”

Thanks to strong defensive play that forced Nova to shoot just 29% from the field in the half, the Trojans only trailed 28-27 going into the break. 

The Wildcats started the second half on a 9-0 run, but the Trojan defense stepped up and was able to create opportunities on the other end. The first play after putting on a full-court press, Okongwu nabbed the inbound pass and zipped it to Rakocevic for a layup.

USC responded with a 9-0 run of its own, highlighted by a Weaver and-one, and the ensuing free throw brought the deficit to just 1 again. 

Okongwu showed why he was so highly-touted coming out of high school, dominating the offensive glass and denying a layup attempt by sophomore forward Saddiq Bey. 

His five-star counterpart Mobley put up a quick 5 points after struggling from the field in the first half, later knocking down a 3-pointer to bring the lead to 9. 

“In the locker room, we were just talking about playing together, playing smart and playing great team defense,” Okongwu said. “It wasn’t just me and Isaiah, the whole team played great.”

Strong defense and finishing at the rim down the stretch helped the Trojans maintain their lead.

“This freshman group’s really special and they pick up on things really quick,” Mathews said. “Defensive scheme we changed mid-game and they got it within seconds, so you don’t have to coach them that much. But they need help when you get in tough games, down by seven, you rile them up and say, ‘We’re good, we’re good,’ and we came back and won.”

As the contest coincided with his official visit, 6’5 combo guard Jalen Green, the No. 3 player in the 2020 class who has USC in his top five along with Auburn, Oregon, Florida State and Memphis, attended the game. A commitment from Green into a class already highlighted by the top player in the country, Isaiah’s brother Evan Mobley, would instantly make the Trojans one of the most dangerous teams in the country moving forward forward.

Although the exhibition won’t count for either team’s record, it served a couple of purposes. All game proceeds benefited the California Fire Foundation, which provides emotional and financial assistance to families of fallen firefighters, firefighters and the communities they protect. 

It was also an opportunity for head coach Andy Enfield to see all of his new freshmen in action ahead of the season opener on Nov. 5 when the Trojans host Florida A&M. 

“I thought it was a terrific early college basketball game,” Enfield said. “Even though it didn’t count on the record, you couldn’t tell that by how hard both teams were playing and how exciting the arena was tonight.”