LOS ANGELES – UT Arlington men's basketball hits the road for its first road test on Wednesday night in Los Angeles, as UTA takes on USC at the Galen Center at 10 p.m. CT on the Big Ten Network.
 
The Mavs dropped their homecoming game on Saturday against LA Tech, 92-77, while USC outlasted Idaho State 75-69 last Thursday. Wednesday night will mark the first-ever meeting between UT Arlington and USC.
 
"There's really no difference between being on the road or at home," forward Troy Hupstead said on Tuesday afternoon. "It still comes down to attention to details of the scouting report that the coaches prepared for us. Right after the Louisiana Tech game, we knew it was going to be a quick turnaround, but we had to prepare the same, get our bodies ready, get mentally sharp and stay on top of it in practice. We practiced early this morning to review our details and get a high level of focus. The key to traveling is that you have more time as a group, but its all about what you do with that time."
 
USC, is off to a 2-0 start following victories over Chattanooga (77-51) and Idaho State (75-69 on Thursday night), both of which took place at home in the Galen Center.
 
USC head coach Eric Musselman is in his first season with the Trojans, following five successful seasons at Arkansas.
 
USC returns just one scholarship player, and like the Mavs, had 11 transfers come in ahead of the 24-25 season.
 
"They're a big team that pushes the ball in transition well," Hupstead continued. "They get off the ball very well. The biggest thing for us is to do what we do, and we're going to have to do really well at what we pride ourselves in, which is rebounding, pushing the ball ahead, being unselfish and making plays for one another, playing selflessly."
Three Trojans have scoring averages in double figures in forward Josh Cohen (11.5 ppg), Wesley guard Wesley Yates III (11.0 ppg) and guard Chibuzo Agbo (10.5 ppg), but they also have three more players scoring at least 8.0 ppg, in forward Saint Thomas (8.5 ppg), guard Desmond Claude (8.0 ppg) and forward Matt Knowling (8.0 ppg).
 
UTA is led by guard Jaden Wells, who is scoring 19.5 ppg, Raysean Seamster (16.5 ppg) and Hupstead (14.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg).
 
The Mavs are seeking their second-ever win against a member of the current Big Ten. UTA is 1-12 all-time against those schools, with the lone win coming on Nov. 20, 2015 when UTA defeated Ohio State 73- 68 on the road in Columbus.
 
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