USC basketball team hits the road, for real, against Minnesota

USC’s basketball team has played a short breeze down the coast in San Diego, a finger-snap plane trip east in Las Vegas and across county lines for a pit stop in Riverside.

But all of the Trojans’ games away from home this season — a loss at San Diego State, a loss and a win in a tournament at Las Vegas, and a win at UC Riverside on Wednesday — have been in the Pacific time zone.

On Saturday, USC will get its first taste of real travel when the Trojans (4-4) play at Minnesota (7-1) at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.

“The weather might throw us off a little bit,” freshman guard Alexis Moore said.

Forecasts call for a 60% chance of snow, with high temperatures near freezing. But that would only matter if the game were held outdoors, so USC can’t use cooler environs as an excuse if its recently hot shooting cools off.

In its past four games, USC is shooting 52%, making 97 of 188. And the Trojans are 3-1 in that stretch.

“Guys are just getting more comfortable,” USC Coach Kevin O’Neill said.

USC’s breakout followed a 42-36 loss to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo at the Galen Center on Nov. 19, when the Trojans scored their fewest points in a game since 1967.

Against Cal Poly, USC shot 31%, and floor leader Maurice Jones scored just six points — four on free throws.

“We go as Mo goes,” O’Neill said. And just as Jones has turned his play around, so has USC.

The 5-foot-5 guard is averaging 15.8 points in the last four games and had a career-high seven assists in USC’s 56-35 rout of Riverside.

“I just try to do what I can,” Jones said.

He’s able to do it more when he receives help on offense from fellow guards Moore, Byron Wesley and Greg Allen, who combined for 29 points against Riverside.

USC and Minnesota will be playing short-handed.

Dewayne Dedmon, USC’s promising 7-foot sophomore, was diagnosed Tuesday with a stress injury in his right foot that could keep him out for at least a month.

Minnesota will be without 6-8 forward Trevor Mbakwe, who was averaging team highs of 14 points and 9.1 rebounds. He suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the Gophers’ loss to Dayton on Sunday.

The Gophers’ Ralph Sampson III, a 6-11 senior whose father starred at Virginia and in the NBA, has been slowed by an ankle injury. He didn’t play in Minnesota’s 58-55 win against Virginia Tech on Wednesday.

Each team may be hindered on its front line, but USC has a height advantage with 7-1, 260-pound junior James Blasczyk, who will start in place of Dedmon.

baxter.holmes@latimes.com

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