Northwestern And Usc On Verge To Become The Next Big Rivalry

The Northwestern Wildcats and USC Trojans don’t usually person overmuch history erstwhile it comes to basketball. They person met only 4 times since 1999.

The Wildcats person won 3 of those 4 meetings, including nan latest, a 74-68 triumph connected Wednesday night. In nan past 3 meetings, some teams person played hard, and it’s been a adjacent game. The only lopsided crippled was nan first one, which nan Trojans won 85-44 successful Los Angeles successful 1999. 

If nan Wildcats and Trojans tin play astatine slightest erstwhile aliases doubly each season, we judge this could beryllium a fierce rivalry. There’s a chance we could spot galore much epic battles betwixt nan 2 programs successful nan agelong run. USC precocious joined nan Big Ten to summation nan rivalry. 

The 2025-26 play is nan opening of a sensation of what’s to travel betwixt some programs. The rivalry will amended if some teams amended astatine recruiting top-tier players retired of precocious schoolhouse aliases done nan transportation portal. The Trojans could usage much Evan Monley- aliases Demar DeRozan-caliber players to subordinate their programme successful nan future.

As for nan Wildcats, we request to spot much of Bryant McIntosh and Evan Eschmeyer going guardant to make this rivalry much competitive, pinch some teams having bully Big Ten records. Rivalries are 10 times amended erstwhile some teams are awesome and moreover pinch each other. A rivalry is not arsenic bully erstwhile it’s only 1 squad dominating each nan time. 

The Wildcats person won 3 successful a row. The Trojans are looking to moreover nan people erstwhile they meet again. The existent head-to-head matchup features forwards Nick Martinelli of Northwestern and Ezra Ausar of USC. Ausar is averaging 16 points per crippled connected 60 percent shooting. Martinelli is averaging 23 points per crippled pinch six boards and 56 percent from nan field.

Martenelli and Ausar person nan imaginable to beryllium awesome head-to-head opponents astatine nan guardant position, but some are seniors. If they were first- aliases second-year students, past it would make it much compelling to spell head-to-head each year. However, it’s analyzable because student-athletes seldom enactment successful schoolhouse for nan afloat 4 years. 

Although some players will soon beryllium heading retired nan doorway and move connected to nan adjacent section of their careers, we will spot caller fresh faces coming into nan Northwestern and USC programs, and hopefully springiness nan fans a fascinating 2026-27 play pinch thrilling finishes. 

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