On Friday, USC men’s basketball defeated Illinois State 87-67 at the Hall of Fame Series at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. With the victory, the Trojans improved to 3-0 on the 2025-2026 season. USC maintained a positive numerical profile with another lopsided margin of victory.
Speaking of numbers: It was a historic evening for Rodney Rice, the transfer from Maryland. Rice finished the game with 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists—good for a triple-double.
Per USC, Rice is just the second player in program history to record a triple-double. The other is Daniel Hackett, who did so back in 2007.
Rice was one of four Trojans to finish the game in double figures. In addition, Chad Baker-Mazara had 18 points, Gabe Dynes added 14, and Ezra Ausar recorded 13.
Rice and the Trojans are back in action on Thursday, when they host Troy at Galen Center. After that, USC will head out to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Rodney Rice makes USC hoops history, records triple-double in victory over Illinois State
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
