USC's upset bid crumbles in second half of loss to No. 24 Wisconsin

Anthony De Leon, Los Angeles Times on Jan 18, 2025

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LOS ANGELES — Fresh off what seemed to be a turning point in the USC men’s basketball season, during which they had finally found a rhythm in back-to-back big wins, the Trojans couldn’t extend their run against a nationally ranked opponent.

What initially looked like a complete rout by No. 24 Wisconsin turned into a gritty display of fight and determination. After opening the game disjointed and unfocused, the Trojans chipped away at a double-digit deficit and coming close before their rally was ultimately thwarted.

But the positives were definitely overshadowed by the negatives, especially for coach Eric Musselman, in USC’s 84-69 loss to Wisconsin at the Galen Center on Saturday afternoon.

After the game, a dejected Musselman emphasized, “I’m not going to sit up here and call guys out.” However, the message — when reading between the lines — Musselman was sending was pretty clear.

He only credited the effort of his two leading scorers, Saint Thomas and Rashaun Agee, who finished with 19 points on seven of 11 and 15 points on six of 11, respectively.

“Saint and Rashaun played with great energy,” Musselman said. “I can credit those two guys.”

Thomas played a key role in stopping Omaha native like himself and “big bro” Wisconsin guard John Tonje, who was a focal point of the defensive game plan going into the game. Tonje, one of the Big Ten’s leading scorers, averaging 18.2 points per game, was held scoreless.

Despite shutting down Tonje, the rest of Wisconsin’s guards, a group led by John Blackwell and Max Klesmit, accounted for 56 points on 20 of 35 (57.1 %).

“Blackwell took the game over at the beginning, and the difference in the game was his spurt ability, scoring the ball, and then you know 11 [Klesmit],” Musselman said. “Their two guards really hurt us.”

In a game that required a full defensive effort from his team, the rest of the Trojans struggled to find rhythm and cohesiveness as a unit to stop the Badgers, looking as though they had taken one step back after making two steps forward.

Even with the praiseworthy defensive effort, Thomas agreed with his coach, describing the team as “playing stagnant” and “not looking how we did at the beginning of the week.”

The opening half against Wisconsin (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten) was a complete role reversal from the Trojans’ recent matchup against Iowa, during which they seemed to have found their rhythm as a unit. On Saturday, however, the Trojans trailed 42-27 at halftime.

A 10-point run midway through the first half left the Trojans scoreless for five minutes, fueling the Badgers’ momentum. Wisconsin capitalized with a mix of outside shooting and near-perfect free-throw efficiency.

The Badgers, who entered the game leading the nation in free-throw percentage, had the Trojans playing catch-up for the rest of the half as USC (11-7, 3-4) struggled to find an offensive rhythm.

If the Trojans were going to be successful, they needed a contribution from their point guard, Desmond Claude, who had recently delivered 31- and 25-point performances. Claude — the Big Ten’s leading scorer in conference play, averaging 22 points per game — finished with just nine points and turned the ball over five times.

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