Penn State yearning to break losing streak at USC

Amid a once-promising season, Penn State is suddenly sitting in last place in the Big Ten standings.

The Nittany Lions are desperate for a win on Tuesday when they complete their Los Angeles road trip with a matchup against Southern California.

Penn State (13-11, 3-10 Big Ten) started the season 12-2, including a dominant win over then-No. 8 Purdue in early December. The Nittany Lions, however, have lost nine of their past 10 games and five straight heading into this meeting with the Trojans (13-10, 5-7).

In Saturday's 78-54 shellacking at the hands of UCLA, Penn State had nearly as many turnovers (18) as field goals (19). Zach Hicks scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds -- both team highs -- but the team couldn't overcome its giveaways.

"That was the difference," Nittany Lions coach Mike Rhoades said. "We turned it over and then couldn't defend those turnovers."

Penn State continues to play without guard/forward Puff Johnson and forward Yanic Konan Niederhauser, while guard Ace Baldwin Jr. continues to nurse a back injury. He was limited to nine points on 3-of-8 shooting against the Bruins.

Meanwhile, USC has played two of its past three games against ranked teams. The Trojans topped then-No. 7 Michigan State and then lost to No. 7 Purdue -- bookended around a tight loss to Northwestern.

Redshirt freshman Wesley Yates III is coming off his best game, as he scored 30 points against the Boilermakers, a rare bright spot in the team's third loss in four games.

The Trojans played without leading scorer Desmond Claude (knee), who is averaging 16.2 points per game this season.

Earlier this month, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo referred to Claude as "the straw that stirs the drink" for the USC offense. Claude has scored in double figures in 13 of the past 14 games in which he has played.

Claude's absence puts more pressure on Yates (12.5 points per game) and Chibuzo Agbo (11.5).

--Field Level Media