Ventura
Ventura, CA · Sports
USA TODAY Sports Media Group
usctrojans.com
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Field Level Media
Familiar foes Cal, No. 21 USC set to square off
Longtime Pac-12 rivals will meet for the second time since heading their separate ways when 21st-ranked Southern California and Cal square off in a nonconference game Wednesday night in Berkeley, Calif. Having met twice annually as members of the same conference, the Trojans (2-0) and Golden Bears (2-1) chose to continue their intrastate battle as nonconference foes in 2024. Cal won that game 71-66 in Los Angeles. The teams did not face each other last season. USC belongs to the Big Ten, and Cal is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Both teams traveled to the Nevada side of the California border to participate in the eight-team Lake Tahoe Classic on Sunday, when USC got 32 points from Rodney Rice and 30 from Alijah Arenas in a 93-86 win over Wichita State, after Cal wasted a 19-point effort from Michael Cooper in an 86-68 loss to then-No. 10 Houston. A Trojans lineup featuring 6-foot-11 Adonis Ratliff and his 7-foot brother, Darius, could pose problems for Cal, which has yet to get its lone returning starter, center Lee Dort, in the lineup due to a leg injury. The Trojans also feature quality depth, led by KJ Lewis -- who started