When USC basketball dealt Michigan State its first and still only conference loss on Feb. 1, it appeared they were playing themselves into the NCAA Tournament bubble conversation. Fast forward to present day, and the Trojans (14-13) are in danger of not even qualifying for the Big Ten Tournament after losing at Rutgers on Sunday night, 95-85.
Despite Desmond Claude’s terrific 30-point performance (12-of-21 shooting), USC dropped its third straight game and fifth of its last six overall. It is now tied with Iowa and Minnesota for 15th place in the league standings. The bottom three in the 18-team Big Ten will not be eligible for the annual conference tourney.
The Trojans are having a particularly difficult time away from Los Angeles’ Galen Center, with their last road win coming at Nebraska on Jan. 22. The ongoing struggles and challenging travel schedule appear to be getting to head coach Eric Musselman.
He did his best impression of UCLA HC Mick Cronin after falling short to Rutgers, bemoaning the grind that USC and other West Coast-based programs now endure in their new Big Ten home.
“I think there’s a whole bunch of things that factor,” Musselman said, when asked what his squad can do to make the Big Ten Tournament, per the Dirty South’s Shotgun Spratling. “Number one, UCLA, Washington, Oregon and USC, we’re in the hole two to four games based on travel. It’s going to be {that way} forever for men’s basketball.
When you travel three time zones and you’re out here (Mid-Atlantic) for six days, and we’re going to get back roughly at 3 a.m., and then they go to class at 8 (a.m.)… Should a West Coast team be playing a game at 6 o’clock at night?”
#USC HC Eric Musselman didn’t quite go on a Mick Cronin rant following the East Coast swing to #Maryland and #Rutgers, but he was not happy with the trip and the effect it had on his team.
“[The West Coast teams], we’re in the hole 2-4 games based on travel.” pic.twitter.com/U5AE98zh0b
— Shotgun Spratling (@ShotgunSpr) February 24, 2025
Eric Musselman, USC basketball should have seen this coming
Musselman noted that the UCLA and USC women’s squads, nationally ranked No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, have overcome the issue by having “far superior talent,” which is something he might one day procure but does not presently boast with the men’s team.
This airing of grievances follows the rant Cronin made last month after “seeing the Statue of Liberty twice in the last three weeks.” Both men are learning that life in the Big Ten is not easy, especially when you reside thousands of miles away.
In a twist of irony, the two coaches representing the two schools most responsible for the dissolution of the Pac-12 Conference, are complaining about the unavoidable scheduling conflicts. Mick Cronin committed to the Bruins well before they revealed their intent to join the Big Ten, but Eric Musselman knew what he was signing up for when he left Arkansas for LA last spring.
He chose the unenviable task of guiding USC basketball through difficult road trips like the one his team just endured at Maryland and Rutgers. The onus is on him to properly prepare and energize the Trojans for battle. That did not happen on Sunday in Jersey Mike’s Arena.
Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III combined for 53 of USC’s 85 points, with no other player scoring in double-figures. The defense could not contain lauded NBA Draft prospect Dylan Harper, who totaled 35 points, nine assists and a whopping six steals, and the Scarlet Knights shot 55.6 percent collectively. Ultimately, though, Rutgers’ 26-of-28 showing on the free throw line was the difference.
The desperate Trojans will host Ohio State on Wednesday night, who, as Musselman pointed out, have had the luxury of being in Los Angeles since this past weekend. USC must push through the travel-induced adversity and do everything it can to salvage this ailing campaign.
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