Overview
- USC enters Tuesday’s game in Eugene at 7-0 after winning the Maui Invitational and earning its first AP Top 25 ranking under Eric Musselman.
- Rodney Rice, who exited the Seton Hall game with a shoulder issue and missed the final, has an unclear status for the opener.
- Oregon coach Dana Altman labeled center Nate Bittle and forward Devon Pryor very questionable, removing the Ducks’ top scorer and a starter from certainty.
- Chad Baker-Mazara, the Maui MVP, shares USC’s scoring lead at 20.3 points per game alongside Rice.
- Oregon is 4-3 on a three-game slide from the Players Era Festival, with turnover problems exposed and guard Jackson Shelstad poised as the leading option if Bittle sits.