Utah (5-1, 0-0) vs. No. 20 Southern California (6-0, 0-0)
Galen Center, Los Angeles; Wednesday, 11:30 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Utah visits No. 20 Southern California as conference play starts for both teams. In conference play last season, Utah finished with eight wins and 11 losses, while Southern California won 16 games and lost five.
STEPPING UP: The versatile Branden Carlson is averaging 15.7 points, seven rebounds and two blocks to lead the charge for the Runnin’ Utes. Rollie Worster is also a key facilitator, putting up 9.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. The Trojans have been led by Isaiah Mobley, who is averaging 12.2 points and 9.2 rebounds.CLUTCH CARLSON: Carlson has connected on 35.7 percent of the 14 3-pointers he’s attempted and has made 4 of 11 over his last five games. He’s also made 82.6 percent of his free throws this season.
ASSIST RATIOS: The Runnin’ Utes have recently used assists to create buckets more often than the Trojans. Southern California has 43 assists on 91 field goals (47.3 percent) across its previous three outings while Utah has assists on 40 of 77 field goals (51.9 percent) during its past three games.
DID YOU KNOW: The Southern California offense has recorded a turnover on only 12.7 percent of its possessions, which is the eighth-best rate in the country. The Utah defense has forced opposing teams to turn the ball over on just 14.7 percent of all possessions (ranked 348th among Division I teams).
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