Former Pac-12 counterparts meet under different league banners on Sunday when the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Cal Golden Bears visit the Big Ten’s USC Trojans in Los Angeles.
Sunday’s matchup between the in-state counterparts marks their first encounter as nonconference opponents since 1921.
USC (3-0) continues a lengthy homestand to open its first season in the Big Ten and its first under the direction of head coach Eric Musselman. With Musselman on the sideline and an almost entirely new roster from a season ago, the Trojans look much different than the team Cal beat in their last meeting nine months ago.
Desmond Claude, the hero of USC’s 98-95 win over UT Arlington on Wednesday with 26 points and eight assists, transferred in from Xavier. Josh Cohen, who scored 19 points on Wednesday, is a transfer from UMass.
Although the Trojans roster was put together in the offseason, Cohen said it has jelled quickly.
“This group is super together. If you see our bench where everyone is cheering for each other, it isn’t a separate group,” he said. “It starts with our leadership.”
USC’s togetherness on the court has manifested thus far in the Trojans combining for at least 20 assists in all three of their initial games.
Cal (2-1) underwent its own dramatic lineup changes ahead of its inaugural ACC campaign. All six Golden Bears who have started a game this season played elsewhere in 2023-24, including wing Andrej Stojakovic.
Stojakovic, a top 25-ranked recruit in the 2023 high school signing class, transferred from Cal rival Stanford. He has scored at least 15 points in each of his first three games as a Golden Bear.
Backcourt mate and Grand Canyon transfer Jovan Blacksher Jr. has also scored in double figures in all three contests. The former two-time All-Western Athletic Conference honoree fills a role for Cal similar to that of Claude for USC.
“Jovan’s so experienced. He’s been through so much with the injuries,” Stojakovic said, referring to a torn ACL that sidelined Blacksher for much of the 2022-23 season. “He’s very versatile. He can play off the ball, on the ball, and I’m glad he decided to join us.”
Blacksher will lead Cal’s effort to rebound from an 85-69 loss on Wednesday at Vanderbilt. The Golden Bears dug an 18-point halftime hole and could not recover vs. the Commodores.
