USC basketball vs. Cal preview: Lineups, odds, TV channel, live stream

USC basketball will look to open Pac-12 with better results than their 7-6 non-conference slate, facing the 5-7 Cal Bears at the Galen Center.

Galen Center | Los Angeles, CA7:00 p.m. PT | Pac-12 NetworkSeries: Cal leads 136-124Last meeting: USC 77, Cal 59 in 2018

USC basketball begins conference play on Thursday night with a matchup against Cal in a game which could vault either side out of the doldrums of a lackluster non-conference start.

Head coach Wyking Jones and Cal finished their non-conference schedule with an 82-73 loss to Seattle at the end of December. The Trojans fared much better with a 73-55 victory over UC Davis.

More from Reign of Troy

• Markese Stepp enters transfer portal intending to leave USC football
• USC football’s Alijah Vera-Tucker declares for NFL Draft
• USC football adds Xavion Alford as transfer from Texas
• USC Podcast: RoT Radio Ep. 396 on the Football Season’s Fallout
• Talanoa Hufanga named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, USC football with five first-teamers

The Bears are led by Paris Austin, the 6-foot guard who averages 14.2 points per game, though guard Darius McNeill and forwards Justin Sueing and Andrew Kelly also average double-figures. Sophomore forward Grant Antecevich is the only member of the starting five with a sub-10 scoring average.

The Trojans will battle back with a quartet of their own double-figure scorers led by Bennie Boatwright, who has found his form recently averaging 17 points, nine rebounds and four assists in his last three games.

The game will tipoff at 7:00 p.m. Pacific on the Pac-12 Network, featuring J.B. Long on play-by-play and Richard Jefferson providing color commentary.

As always, the radio broadcast with Jordan Moore will air on ESPNLA 710.

Probable Starters

Cal: 

G #1 Darius McNeill, 6-3, 182, So.G #3 Paris Austin, 6-0, 185, Jr.F #10 Justin Sueing, 6-foot-7, 215, So.F #22 Andre Kelly, 6-8, 260, Fr.F #34 Grant Antecevich, 6-8, 240, So.

USC:

G #0 Shaqquan Aaron, 6-7, 195, RS-Sr.G #2 Jonah Mathews, 6-3, 200, Jr.G #5 Derryck Thornton, 6-3, 195, RS-Jr.F #25 Bennie Boatwright, 6-10, 235, Sr.F #31 Nick Rakocevic, 6-11, 225, Jr.

RELATED PRODUCT

Reign of Troy Radio Dad Cap

Buy Now!

Buy Now!

TV channel listings:

DirecTV: —Dish: Channel 406/409AT&T U-Verse: Channel 759/1759 OR 761/1761FiOS TV from Frontier: Channel 91/591 OR 581Spectrum Cable: Channel 375/376Need more? Click here for the Pac-12 Channel Finder.

Odds: USC -10.5

Despite the slow start to the season, the Trojans are still hefty favorites over their Pac-12 foes with the line set at 10.5 points, per OddsShark.

Cal is 0-3 away from home this season and 1-6 as an underdog. Meanwhile, USC has gone 7-4 at home with a 7-2 record as the favorite.