Up next for UW men’s basketball: USC

Scouting report: USC.
Game info: 12 p.m. Saturday at Galen Center (10,258).

TV: Pac-12 Networks (Jim Watson and Mike Montgomery).
Radio: KOMO 1000 AM and FM 97.7 (Bob Rondeau and Jason Hamilton).

Record: 16-5, 5-3 Pac-12 (t-3rd).
RPI/SOS: 22/39.
Stats/schedule: Click here.
Game notes: USC and Washington.

Coach: Andy Enfield, 46, is 39-45 (.464) in his third season with the Trojans. He was a popular hire in 2013, but managed an 11-21 record during his first year and 12-20 last season. Enfield has a 10-34 (.227) Pac-12 record. Before joining the Trojans, he rose to notoriety during a brief two-year stint at Florida Gulf Coast. In 2013, Enfield guided the Eagles to a Sweet Sixteeen appearance in the NCAA tournament. They finished 26-11.

Prediction: Picked to finish 10th in the Pac-12 preseason media poll.

Series: Washington leads 71-68 (reflects two wins by USC that were vacated from the 2008 season due to NCAA penalties) in a series that began Feb. 26, 1925. The Huskies have won six of the past nine meetings. Lorenzo Romar is 16-9 against the Trojans. Enfield is 1-2 versus UW, including a 70-55 defeat on Feb. 28, 2015 at Galen Center.

Last meeting: The Huskies recovered from a 22-point deficit in the second half and pulled out an 87-85 victory on Jan. 3 at Alaska Airlines Arena. It was the largest comeback during Romar’s 14-year tenure at UW. The Huskies  trailed 46-36 at halftime and were down 66-44 with 14:18 remaining. Dejounte Murray led the comeback while scoring 20 of his career-high 29 points in the second half. UW trailed 85-78 with 2:12 left when Murray and Andrew Andrews (24 points) closed things out with a 9-0 run. Andrews’ putback with 25 seconds left gave the Huskies the lead for good. They led for just 54 seconds in the game and was dominated in most significant statistical categories.

Previous game: USC beat Washington State 81-71 on Thursday at Galen Center.

Point spread: The Trojans are favored by 1.5 points.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

— Julian Jacobs, a 6-4 junior guard, may be the most important player for the Trojans. At least he was when they lost to Washington. He suffered an ankle injury in the second half, which changed everything for USC. Before leaving, Jacobs torched the Huskies with three dribble drives that resulted in highlight dunks. He had 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting in 18 minutes. He leads USC with 5.9 assists per game and averages 12.4 points.

— Jordan McLaughlin, a 6-1 sophomore point guard, also tallied 15 points and had eight rebounds against the Huskies earlier this month. However, he’s been mired in a three-game shooting slump. During the span, he’s connected on just 5 of 22 shots and is averaging 5.7 points. McLaughlin, who averages 12.4 points, is capable of big scoring performances. He had 23 points against UCLA two weeks ago. McLaughlin set the school single-game assist record with 16 during a 100-64 win over Lafayette on Dec. 23. Last season he made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team despite missing the final eight games due a shoulder injury.

— Katin Reinhardt, a 6-6 junior guard, transferred from UNLV and he had a productive season last season during his first year with the Trojans when he averaged 12.5 points. He’s a streaky shooter who scored a season-high 29 points against Caly Poly and was held to two points by Arizona. Reinhardt leads USC with a 12.6 scoring average.

— Nikoka Jovanovic, a 6-11 junior center, has given the Huskies fits in the past. He had 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting and 10 rebounds in the previous game this season. Last year he had 16 points and seven rebounds against UW.

OVERVIEW:

— One year after finishing last in the Pac-12, USC is tied for third in the conference at 5-3.

— The Trojans are 12-0 at Galen Center, which is their best home record start since going 13-0 in 1943. Only three Pac-12 teams are undefeated at home, including Oregon and California.

— Enfield coined the term ‘Dunk City’ when he rose to stardom at Florida Gulf Coast. Now he’s branded SC ‘Slam City.’ The Trojans had 78 dunks in the first 20 games, compared to its opponents’ 36.

— USC averages 83.5 points, which second in the Pac-12 behind Washington (84.6) and 14th nationally.

— In many ways, USC and Washington haven taken a similar rebuilding path. Both teams have missed the NCAA tournament the past four years and both teams have just one senior on the roster. Last year, the Trojans hit the reset button. They were the youngest Power 5 conference team and they took their lumps. This year USC appears to have benefited from those hard lessons and its had a fantastic start.

— USC’s top six scorers – and all five starters – average at least 10 points. The Trojans rely on an eight-man rotation that includes sophomore guard Elijah Stewart, freshman center Chimezie Metu and junior forward Darion Clark.

— Former Rainier Beach High standout Shaqquan Aaron transferred from Louisville and is redshirting this season at USC.

STARTING LINEUP: