USC Basketball Rises To No. 23 In AP Poll With Undefeated Record

USC basketball rose to No. 23 in the AP Poll on Monday, up from No. 24 as they improved their record to 10-0.

The USC basketball Trojans continued their roll on Saturday against the Troy Trojans, holding onto their place in the Week 7 AP Poll with a 10-0 record.

It wasn’t easy against Troy, who held a halftime advantage over USC at half time at the Galen Center. However, Andy Enfield’s squad rallied to take the victory, 82-77, with a go-ahead shot from Jordan McLaughlin in the final minute.

USC’s 10-0 record is their best since the 1971 team ripped off 16-straight victories. It matches the best overall win streak for the Trojans since ten wins bridged seasons in 2000 and 2001.

Though USC’s strength of schedule is anything but strenuous, the win streak is made all the more impressive by the absence of Bennie Boatwright, who sprained his MCL against San Diego at the end of November. The men of Troy have won four games without the star forward, who is expected back in mid January.

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Last season, when the Trojans jumped back into the rankings, they promptly lost games to Oregon State and Oregon, falling out of the Top 25. This is the first time since 2008 USC has been ranked for consecutive weeks.

The Pac-12 kept all four teams in the Top 25 this week, with UCLA maintaining their No. 2 ranking. Meanwhile, Arizona moved up one spot to No. 18 and Oregon leaped two spots to No. 20.

Next up, USC will look to improve their record to 11-0 against hapless Cornell tonight at the Galen Center. The Big Red are 2-6 on the season, coming off a 97-78 loss to Wyoming.

Then the Trojans will head to Nevada for the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic to take on Missouri State before Christmas.