No. 23 USC faces Wyoming in Las Vegas final (Dec 23, 2016)
USC will put its perfect record on the line when the 23rd-ranked Trojans face Wyoming in the championship game of the Las Vegas Classic on Friday at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.
The Trojans (12-0) advanced to the final with an 83-75 victory over Missouri State in Thursday's semifinals. Elijah Stewart scored 21 points, Jordan McLaughlin added 19, and Chimezie Metu posted 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots for USC.
The Cowboys (9-2) advanced with a 72-58 victory over DePaul. Hayden Dalton, a 6-foot-8 forward, came off the bench to record his third consecutive double-double, posting 18 points and 12 rebounds.
"One thing that Hayden has is his tremendous skill for a player of his size," Wyoming coach Allen Edwards said. "He also plays so hard and creates such great matchups for us. He gives us great length and skill, and plays with such great energy."
The Cowboys have won seven in a row, but they probably will need to be better against USC than they were against DePaul. Wyoming shot 42.1 percent from the field, made just 6 of 25 from 3-point range and committed 22 turnovers.
Despite the shooting struggles, Edwards wasn't entirely dissatisfied with the Cowboys' performance after they scored 43 points in the second half.
"My thing is the process and play the course," Edwards said. "I wanted an up-and-down game, and I liked the tempo. We settled for some bad shots in the first half. We moved the ball and got better looks in the second half."
USC is enjoying its best start and its longest winning streak since going 16-0 to begin the 1970-71 season.
Coach Andy Enfield experimented with a new lineup against Missouri State, starting four guards after watching his team fall behind by double digits in three of its previous four games. This time, the Trojans led from start to finish.
The Trojans were remarkably efficient. They shot 54.7 percent from the field, made eight 3-pointers and converted 17 of 19 free throws, including 15 of 16 over the final 2:17.
"I just wanted to try something different," Enfield said, according to the Orange County Register. "We got out in transition and spread the floor. We played really good defense."
The Trojans are led by Stewart, McLaughlin and Metu. Stewart is averaging 15.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. McLaughlin averages 13.6 points and 5.2 assists. Metu is averaging 13.3 points and 7.8 rebounds.
USC is celebrating its unbeaten streak with a block party. The Trojans had a school-record 14 blocked shots against Pepperdine on Dec. 11, nine against Troy on Dec. 17 and 10 against Cornell on Sunday. They had four blocks against Missouri State.
Wyoming is led by Justin James, who averages 16.6 points per game. James is shooting 49.1 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3-point range. He scored 13 in the win over DePaul.
Jason McManamen averages 14.8 points per game for the Cowboys, though he was held to nine on Thursday. Dalton is averaging 11.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists.
