Saturday, November 21st, 8:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (16,161) -- Los Angeles, California. Television: None. Home Record: Loyola Marymount 0-1, USC 1-0. Away Record: Loyola Marymount 0-1, USC 0-0. Neutral Record: Loyola Marymount 1-1, USC 0-0. Conference Record: Loyola Marymount 0-0, USC 0-0. Series Record: USC leads, 41-5.

GAME NOTES: The USC Trojans of the Pac-10 Conference entertain the Loyola Marymount Lions of the West Coast Conference for a non-conference affair.

Loyola Marymount fell to 1-3 on the young season with an 84-78 loss to UC Irvine on Wednesday. All three of the Lions' losses have come by six points or fewer, while their only victory came by a 23-point margin over North Dakota.

Kevin O'Neil made his debut as head coach at USC on Tuesday, and the Trojans treated him to a 77-67 victory. The team lost many key contributors from last season's squad, which finished 22-13 overall. Expectations aren't very high for USC, which has been picked by many to finish in the bottom half of the Pac-10 standings.

USC owns a commanding 41-5 series advantage over Loyola Marymount, which includes eight straight wins over the Lions.

It is odd to see that Loyola Marymount's scoring output (77.8 ppg) is higher than its points allowed (74.5 ppg) considering the team's losing record. There are three players averaging double figures in scoring for the Lions, and Drew Viney leads the way with 18.0 ppg on 52.2 percent shooting from the floor, including 57.9 percent from three-point range. Larry Davis is netting 14.3 ppg, and Vernon Teel adds 13.3 ppg, 6.0 rpg and 6.0 apg. The Lions are outrebounding opponents by 6.5 rpg, but it hasn't helped the record much. In the loss to UC Irvine earlier this week, Viney exploded for 30 points, but his team turned the ball over 16 times, six more than the opposition. Therefore, a 39-31 rebounding advantage and 20-14 edge in points from the foul line were overshadowed.

Taj Gibson is gone for USC. So, too, are DeMar DeRozan and Daniel Hackett. Those three players combined to score over 40 of the team's 68.5 ppg last season. Obviously, fans were eager to see who would step up in the opener against UC Riverside. Dwight Lewis was a big-time performer last season, so it was no surprise to see him post 22 points against the Highlanders. The fact that Marcus Simmons and Nikola Vucevic were able to tally 18 points apiece was good to see, and Donte Smith pitched in 12 points. The Trojans connected on 51.9 percent of their shots from the floor in the clash, including a 7-of-14 effort from three-point range. Obviously, it would have been nice to see a margin of victory a bit large against a mediocre team like UC Riverside, but O'Neil knows it will take some time.

Expect the Trojans to move to 2-0 with a victory over the Lions. Keep an eye on Lewis, as he is a big-time player.

Predicted Outcome

USC 78, Loyola Marymount 60