Gophers at a glance: Minnesota heads out on its last road trip before the Big Ten schedule starts on New Year's Eve. The Gophers are on a five-game winning streak but could be hitting a talented USC team at a bad time (finally home and desperate for a win). In the past three games, the Gophers have shown hints of fixing their turnover problem.
USC at a glance: Things have not gone as planned for the Trojans -- even with more talent than a year ago. USC (3-5) is on a four-game losing streak, recently falling to Nebraska and New Mexico in road games. But now, USC --which has only been home at the Galen Center for one game in the past 3 1/2 weeks -- returns home. The Trojans need more offensive production from their starting lineup if they hope to hang with the Gophers. USC has two players averaging in the low double digits in points (J.T. Terrell at 12.5 and Eric Wise 10.9), but returnee Jio Fontan hasn't been the force the Trojans hoped for yet.
AMELIA RAYNO
