With Daejon Davis and Cormac Ryan back in the lineup, Stanford (7-7, 0-2) was at full strength for the first time since playing at Kansas. USC (9-6, 2-0), on the other hand, dressed just 7 healthy scholarship players. Still, the Trojans were somehow the ones with enough gas in the tank late to pull away in the Galen Center.
As is becoming a trend, Stanford got off to a poor start thanks to an anemic offensive showing in the first half. The Cardinal had just 21 by the break, and had more turnovers than field goals. The Trojans used the sloppy Stanford start and their superior interior players to jump to a 13-0 lead.