# 2020–21 USC Trojans men's basketball team

The 2020–21 USC Trojans men's basketball team represented the University of Southern California during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by eighth-year head coach Andy Enfield, they played their home games at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, California as members of the Pac-12 Conference. They finished the season 25-8, 15-5 in Pac-12 Play to finish in 2nd place. They defeated Utah in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament before losing in the semifinals to Colorado. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Drake, Kansas, and Oregon to advance to the Elite Eight where they lost to Gonzaga.

## Previous season

The 2019–20 USC Trojans ended the season at 22–9 overall, and a 11-7 Conference record for a tie for 3rd Place with Arizona State. They were set to take on Arizona in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 tournament. However, the remainder of the Pac-12 Tournament, and all other postseason tournaments, were cancelled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Off-season
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Kyle Sturdivant | 1 | G | 6'3" | 200 | Freshman | Norcross, GA | Transferred to Georgia Tech |
| Jonah Mathews | 2 | G | 6'3" | 205 | Senior | Santa Monica, CA | Graduated |
| Elijah Weaver | 3 | G | 6'6" | 210 | Sophomore | Cocoa, FL | Transferred to Dayton |
| Daniel Utomi | 4 | G | 6'6" | 225 | GS Senior | Houston, TX | Graduated/signed to play professional in Finland with Kauhajoki Karhu |
| Quinton Adlesh | 10 | G | 6'1" | 200 | GS Senior | Arroyo Grande, CA | Graduated |
| Charles O'Bannon Jr. | 13 | G | 6'6" | 210 | RS Sophomore | Compton, CA | Mid-season transferred to TCU |
| Onyeka Okongwu | 21 | F | 6'9" | 245 | Freshman | Chino Hills, CA | Declared for the 2020 NBA draft; selected 6th overall by the Atlanta Hawks |
| Nick Rakocevic | 31 | F | 6'11" | 225 | Senior | Chicago, IL | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Num | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Chevez Goodwin | 1 | F | 6'9" | 225 | Redshirt Senior | Columbia, SC | Transferred from Wofford. Will be eligible to play immediately since Goodwin graduated from Wofford. |
| Tahj Eaddy | 2 | G | 6'2" | 165 | Redshirt Senior | West Haven, CT | Transferred from Santa Clara. Will be eligible to play immediately since Eaddy graduated from Santa Clara. |
| Isaiah White | 5 | G | 6'7" | 210 | Redshirt Senior | Rancho Cucamoga, CA | Transferred from Utah Valley. Will be eligible to play immediately since White graduated from Utah Valley. |
| Drew Peterson | 13 | G | 6'8" | 195 | Junior | Libertyville, IL | Transferred from Rice. Peterson was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility. Will have two years of remaining eligibility. |
| Joshua Morgan | 24 | F | 6'11" | 210 | Sophomore | Sacramento, CA | Transferred from Long Beach State. Under NCAA transfer rules, Morgan will have to sit out the 2020–21 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |
| Reggie Parris | 32 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Junior | Denver, CO | Transferred from San Diego. Will join the team as a walk-on. |
| Amar Ross | 55 | G | 5'7" | 150 | Junior | Long Beach, CA | Transferred from Bethesda. Will join the team as a walk-on. |

### 2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Evan Mobley C / PF | Murrieta, CA | Rancho Christian School (CA) | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Aug 15, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 97 ||||||
| Reese Dixon-Waters SG | Long Beach, CA | St. Bernard (CA) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Mar 24, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 81 ||||||
| Boubacar Coulibaly C | Bamako, Mali | San Gabriel Academy (CA) | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Mar 13, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "USC 2020 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 3, 2021. "2020 USC Trojans Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 3, 2021. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 3, 2021. ||||||

### 2021 Recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Harrison Hornery PF | Toowoomba, Australia | Mater Dei (CA) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Oct 31, 2019 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 |||||||
| Malik Thomas SG | Fontana, CA | Damien (CA) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Mar 27, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Kobe Johnson SG | Milwaukee, WI | Nicolet (WI) | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 3, 2020 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 79 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "USC 2021 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021. "2021 USC Trojans Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021. "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 2, 2021. |||||||

## Roster
### Team Recognition

* Andy Enfield
** John R. Wooden Pac-12 Coach of the Year
** Naismith Trophy Men's Coach of the Year Late Season Watch List
* Evan Mobley
** Pac-12 Player of the Year
** Pac-12 Freshman of the Year
** Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
** All-Pac-12 First Team
** Pac-12 All-Freshman Team
** Pac-12 All-Defensive Team
** Pac-12 Freshman of the Week (Week 2, Week 3, Week 7, Week 9, Week 11, Week 13)
** Pac-12 Men's Basketball Preseason Media First Team All-Conference
** Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 Watch List
** Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 Watch List
** Wooden Award Late Season Top 20 Watch List
** NABC Player Of The Year Watch List
** Naismith Trophy Watch List
** Naismith Defensive Play of the Year Award Watch List
** Naismith Player of the Week (Week 13)
** Naismith National Player of the Year Semifinalist
** Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Watch List
** Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award Top 10 Finalist
** NCAA Player of the Week
** Pac-12 Player of the Week (Week 11) - 2nd player in the conference, after Onyeka Okongwu, to ever be recognized as player of the week and freshman of the week during the same week.
* Tahj Eaddy
** All-Pac-12 Second Team

### Injuries

* E. Anderson wasn't available for the UConn game due to back spasms. He remained on the sidelines until his return on January 14, 2021 against Washington.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 25, 2020* 6:00 pm, P12N | | California Baptist | W 95–87 $^{OT}$ | 1–0 | 21 – E. Mobley | 10 – I. Mobley | 4 – 2 Tied | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| November 28, 2020* 6:00 pm, P12N | | Montana | W 76–62 | 2–0 | 13 – Peterson | 13 – I. Mobley | 5 – E. Anderson | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 1, 2020* 11:30 am, ESPN2 | | vs. BYU Legends Classic | W 79–53 | 3–0 | 19 – Peterson | 11 – 2 Tied | 4 – Eaddy | Mohegan Sun Arena (0) Uncasville, CT |
| December 3, 2020* 4:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. UConn Legends Classic | L 58–61 | 3–1 | 17 – E. Mobley | 7 – E. Mobley | 3 – E. Mobley | Mohegan Sun Arena (0) Uncasville, CT |
| December 8, 2020* 7:00 pm, P12N | | UC Irvine | W 91–56 | 4–1 | 22 – E. Mobley | 10 – E. Mobley | 4 – Agbonkpolo | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 16, 2020* 6:00 pm, P12N | | San Francisco | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Galen Center Los Angeles, CA |
| December 23, 2020* 2:00 pm, P12N | | Texas Southern | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Canceled | Galen Center Los Angeles, CA |
| December 29, 2020* 4:00 pm, P12N | | Santa Clara | W 86–63 | 5–1 | 17 – E. Mobley | 7 – 2 Tied | 9 – Peterson | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| December 31, 2020 7:00 pm, ESPN | | Colorado | L 62–72 | 5–2 (0–1) | 16 – Eaddy | 7 – E. Mobley | 5 – Eaddy | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 2, 2021 1:00 pm, P12N | | Utah | W 64–46 | 6–2 (1–1) | 18 – Eaddy | 11 – Petersen | 5 – Eaddy | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 7, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Arizona | W 87–73 | 7–2 (2–1) | 22 – White | 11 – E. Mobley | 10 – Peterson | McKale Center (0) Tucson, AZ |
| January 9, 2021 4:00 pm, P12N | | at Arizona State | W 73–64 | 8–2 (3–1) | 19 – E. Mobley | 13 – E. Mobley | 4 – Eaddy | Desert Financial Arena (0) Tempe, AZ |
| January 12, 2021* 6:00 pm, P12N | | UC Riverside | W 67–62 $^{OT}$ | 9–2 (3–1) | 20 – E. Mobley | 12 – I. Mobley | 3 – Peterson | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 14, 2021 6:30 pm, P12N | | Washington | W 95–68 | 10–2 (4–1) | 18 – I. Mobley | 7 – Peterson | 4 – I. Mobley | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 16, 2021 6:30 pm, P12N | | Washington State | W 85–77 | 11–2 (5–1) | 21 – Eaddy | 11 – Peterson | 4 – 2 Tied | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| January 19, 2021 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Oregon State Originally Scheduled for 12/20/20 | L 56–58 | 11–3 (5–2) | 12 – E. Mobley | 13 – E. Mobley | 4 – Anderson | Gill Coliseum (0) Corvallis, OR |
| January 23, 2021 5:00 pm, P12N | | at California | W 76–68 | 12–3 (6–2) | 25 – E. Mobley | 10 – I. Mobley | 3 – 2 Tied | Haas Pavilion (0) Berkeley, CA |
| January 28, 2021 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | Oregon State | W 75–62 | 13–3 (7–2) | 14 – E. Mobley | 13 – E. Mobley | 4 – Eaddy | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 2, 2021 6:00 pm, FS1 | | at Stanford Originally Scheduled for 12/13/20 | W 72–66 | 14–3 (8–2) | 23 – E. Mobley | 11 – E. Mobley | 3 – Peterson | Maples Pavilion (0) Stanford, CA |
| February 6, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 21 UCLA Rivalry | W 66–48 | 15–3 (9–2) | 19 – Anderson | 11 – I. Mobley | 3 – E. Mobley | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 11, 2021 7:00 pm, P12N | No. 20 | at Washington | W 69–54 | 16–3 (10–2) | 17 – E. Mobley | 12 – I. Mobley | 4 – 2 Tied | Alaska Airlines Arena (0) Seattle, WA |
| February 13, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 20 | at Washington State | W 76–65 | 17–3 (11–2) | 29 – Eaddy | 11 – E. Mobley | 5 – Anderson | Beasley Coliseum (0) Pullman, WA |
| February 17, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 17 | Arizona State | W 89–71 | 18–3 (12–2) | 22 – E. Mobley | 12 – I. Mobley | 7 – E. Mobley | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 20, 2021 3:00 pm, FOX | No. 17 | Arizona | L 72–81 | 18–4 (12–3) | 23 – E. Mobley | 7 – I. Mobley | 7 – Anderson | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 22, 2021 6:00 pm, FS1 | No. 19 | Oregon Originally Scheduled for 1/30/21 | W 72–58 | 19–4 (13–3) | 24 – T. Eaddy | 11 – D. Peterson | 8 – E. Anderson | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| February 25, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 19 | at Colorado | L 62–80 | 19–5 (13–4) | 13 – 2 Tied | 5 – 4 Tied | 2 – 3 Tied | CU Events Center (98) Boulder, CO |
| February 27, 2021 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 19 | at Utah | L 61–71 | 19–6 (13–5) | 19 – Peterson | 10 – I. Mobley | 2 – 3 Tied | Jon M. Huntsman Center (0) Salt Lake City, UT |
| March 3, 2021 7:30 pm, FS1 | | Stanford Originally Scheduled for 1/21/21 | W 79–42 | 20–6 (14–5) | 16 – Eaddy | 9 – Peterson | 6 – Peterson | Galen Center (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| March 6, 2021 1:00 pm, CBS | | at UCLA Rivalry | W 64–63 | 21–6 (15–5) | 13 – E. Mobley | 11 – E. Mobley | 4 – Anderson | Pauley Pavilion (0) Los Angeles, CA |
| Pac-12 Tournament |||||||||
| March 11, 2021 5:30 pm, P12N | (2) No. 24 | vs. (7) Utah Quarterfinals | W 91–85 $^{2OT}$ | 22–6 | 26 – E. Mobley | 9 – E. Mobley | 3 – Peterson | T-Mobile Arena (0) Paradise, NV |
| March 12, 2021 8:30 pm, ESPN | (2) No. 24 | vs. (3) No. 23 Colorado Semifinals | L 70–72 | 22–7 | 26 – E. Mobley | 9 – E. Mobley | 5 – Eaddy | T-Mobile Arena (0) Paradise, NV |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| March 20, 2021 1:30 pm, TNT | (6 W) No. 23 | vs. (11 W) Drake First Round | W 72–56 | 23–7 | 17 – E. Mobley | 11 – E. Mobley | 10 – Eaddy | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (2,163) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 22, 2021 6:40 pm, CBS | (6 W) No. 23 | vs. (3 W) No. 12 Kansas Second Round | W 85–51 | 24–7 | 17 – I. Mobley | 13 – E. Mobley | 5 – E. Mobley | Hinkle Fieldhouse (1,927) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 28, 2021 6:45 pm, TBS | (6 W) No. 23 | vs. (7 W) Oregon Sweet Sixteen | W 82–68 | 25–7 | 22 – White | 8 – E. Mobley | 6 – E. Mobley | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (3,460) Indianapolis, IN |
| March 30, 2021 4:15 pm, TBS | (6 W) No. 23 | vs. (1 W) No. 1 Gonzaga Elite Eight | L 66–85 | 25–8 | 19 – I. Mobley | 7 – I. Mobley | 3 – I. Mobley | Lucas Oil Stadium (6,166) Indianapolis, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Pacific Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | Final |
| AP Poll | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | 20 | 17 | 19 | RV | 24 | 23т | Not released |
| Coaches Poll | — | —^ | — | — | — | — | RV | RV | RV | RV | RV | 20 | 18 | 18 | 24 | 23 | 23 | 9 |
Note: AP does not release post-tournament rankings ^ Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.