O.J. was struggling in the first half, shooting 1 of 8 from the field but turned it on in the 2nd half scoring 11 points in a row and 15 of his 18 total points for the Trojans to pull away.

“I wasn’t hitting any shots in the first half, but it didn’t really matter to me because of the lead we had going into the second half,” he said. “It’s all about winning.

“In the second half, I got the opportunities to get some easy baskets.”

The USC Trojans defeated #18 Southern Illinois, 70-45, to win the first ever Anaheim Classic tournament Sunday night.

O.J. Mayo, who didn’t start, finished the game with 13 points including 3 for 3 from the 3-point line. He also added 3 rebounds.

USC plays Oklahoma, Kansas, and Memphis in their next 3 games.

O.J. Mayo finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists, playing all 40 minutes as USC pulled out a narrow 57-53 victory over Miami of Ohio in the Anaheim Classic on Friday night.

The Trojans play the championship game on Sunday against #18 Southern Illinois.

O.J. Mayo scored 20 points, including seven straight points in a game ending run while adding 3 assists and 3 rebounds as Southern California held off San Diego 60-50 in a first-round game of the Anaheim Classic.

The Trojans (3-1) advance to play Miami of Ohio tonight.

SI.com has a piece on O.J. Mayo and his journey to California. Some interesting tidbits from the piece include:

• O.J. Mayo has a love for chess and thinking 2 or 3 moves ahead
• Despite wishes from the man Mayo calls “grandfather” and his mom, O.J. still chose USC
• O.J. is studying business-management and real-estate investment because he wants to rebuild his community back home.

O.J. Mayo had half the points he scored in his debut but a different outcome as the USC Trojans came away with their first win this season over Citadel 74-47. Mayo shot 6 for 12 from the field including 3 3-pointers for 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists. The Trojans will play again this Saturday at South Carolina.

As in cross town rival UCLA’s highly touted freshman, Kevin Love. Both O.J. and Kevin, who are good friends off the court, share the cover this month on Sports Illustrated and Sporting News.

    

You can read the SI article online: O.J. Mayo vs. Kevin Love: A Fight Between Friends

O.J. Mayo had 32 points in his college debut but his USC Trojans lost to Mercer 96-81. Mayo made 12 of 27 shots, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists but committed 8 turnovers. The points were a USC scoring record for a freshman.

“I didn’t play too well. I think I missed a lot of easy shots. My teammates were setting me up well.”

O.J. Mayo makes his much anticipated college debut today at 4 PM EST as Mercer takes on No. 18 USC.