Meet The Opponent: Big Ten Newbies USC Visit Indiana

Indiana men's basketball faces USC on Wednesday, a team still trying to find its way in its new world.

USC Trojans guard Desmond Claude (1) takes a shot over Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Braden Huff (34) during the second half of their exhibition game at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Calif., Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. / Andy Abeyta/The Desert Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s men’s basketball team gets its first taste of Big Ten realignment at 7 p.m. ET on Wednesday when Southern California pays a visit to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.

USC’s Los Angeles rival UCLA is college basketball royalty, and the Trojans have often operated in their shadow.

Not that the Trojans have been bad. Since 2016, USC has finished with a .600 or better winning percentage seven times. Indiana has only done it four times since 2016.

However, the Trojans don’t have the postseason legacy of UCLA or even Oregon. USC has only been to two Final Fours – in 1940 and 1954.

The current Trojans are also a bit of a mystery team. Eric Musselman decamped from Arkansas to USC in April after previous coach Andy Enfield departed for the SMU job. Hired late in the transfer portal game, Musselman played catch-up as best he could, recruiting an entirely new team.

So far, the results are about what you’d expect. USC (9-5, 1-2) hasn’t embarrassed itself, but nor has it done anything that stands out above average. An 85-61 win at Washington is the most impressive victory, but it is the only road win so far for the Trojans. Both of their Big Ten losses were at home.

Here's a breakdown of the USC Trojans.

Key players

• G Desmond Claude: 14.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 3.9 apg

• G Chibuzo Agbo: 12.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.2 apg

• F Terrance Williams: 10.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg - may not play.

• F Josh Cohen: 9.7 ppg, 2.7 apg, 1.5 apg

• F Saint Thomas: 9.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 4.3 apg

• G Wesley Yates: 9.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg

• F Rashaun Agee: 4.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg

• G Kevin Patton: 3.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg

• F Matt Knowling: 3.8 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.5 apg

• G Isaiah Elohim: 1.9 ppg.

2024-25 Schedule (9-5, 1-2)

• W, 77-51, Chattanooga, Nov. 4

• W, 75-69, Idaho State, Nov. 7

• W, 98-95, UT-Arlington, Nov. 13

• L, 71-66, California, Nov. 17

• W, 82-68, San Jose State, Nov. 20

• W, 80-69, Grambling, Nov. 24

• L, 71-36, Saint Mary’s, Nov. 28 – Acrisure Classic, Palm Springs, Calif.

• L, 83-73, New Mexico, Nov. 30 – Acrisure Classic, Palm Springs, Calif.

• L, 68-60, Oregon, Dec. 4

• W, 85-61, at Washington, Dec. 7

• W, 89-63, Montana State, Dec. 15

• W, 90-68, Cal Sate-Northridge, Dec. 18

• W, 82-51, Southern, Dec. 22

• L, 85-74, Michigan, Jan. 4

Series history

Tied 2-2. Indiana last played USC in 1974 when it won 85-60 in the championship game of the Collegiate Commissioners Association Tournament in St. Louis. Indiana’s other victory came in 1937, with losses occurring in 1940 and 1960. USC has never played in Bloomington. The meetings previous to the CCA Tournament were all in Los Angeles.

Head coach: Eric Musselman

Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Galen Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Musselman is a coaching veteran, with years of experience in both the pro and college ranks. Musselman is well-traveled, but he has had success at each of his stops.

Musselman left Arkansas, where he had been head coach since 2019, to take the USC job in April 2024. At Arkansas, Musselman was 111-59 and made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament three seasons in a row from 2021-23.

Before Arkansas, Musselman was 110-34 in four seasons at Nevada from 2015-19.

Before he switched to the college ranks, Musselman was head coach for the Golden State Warriors from 2002-04 and the Sacramento Kings in the 2006-07 season.

Strengths

Southern California Trojans forward Saint Thomas (0) controls the ball against Michigan Wolverines guard Tre Donaldson (3) and guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) in the second half at Galen Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It’s never a bad idea to build with a solid guard, and Musselman has done so with Xavier transfer Desmond Claude. A scoring-first point guard, Claude is averaging 14.9 points per game to lead the Trojans. He does much of his damage inside the arc where he can penetrate the lane.

Forward Saint Thomas, a Northern Colorado transfer, does more of the distributing than Claude. Thomas averages 4.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game, leading the Trojans in both categories.

Guard Chibuzo Agbo is the lone volume 3-point threat. Agbo converts 39.1% of his threes and is the only Trojan who attempts more than four 3-point attempts per game.

USC prefers to score at the rim. They take 19 more 2-point shots per game than 3-point shots. The Trojans convert 47.4% of their shots, good enough to be in the national top 75 teams.

Weaknesses

USC is a poor rebounding team, averaging a Big Ten-worst 32.1 per game. Indiana is a top four Big Ten team in rebounding (39.1 per game) so this is a problem for the Trojans.

USC does not have a go-to post player. UMass transfer Josh Cohen is a 6-foot-10 presence, but he’s a combined 2 of 7 against Big Ten opponents so far. This is a game where Oumar Ballo could feast for the Hoosiers. The Trojans have four forwards in their rotation, but Cohen is the only one taller than 6-7.

USC will likely be missing one of its key players and the most familiar transfer to Indiana fans. Former Michigan forward Terrance Williams II is USC’s third-leading scorer at 10.6 points per game, but suffered a wrist injury and hasn’t played since December.

USC will foul a lot. The Trojans average 19.5 fouls per game, and opponents typically score 14.6 points at the line.

Season and game outlook

Southern California Trojans guard Wesley Yates III (6) reacts in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Galen Center. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Musselman is an intense guy, and he will have the Trojans ready for the challenge of taking down Indiana at Assembly Hall. Whether he has the horses or not remains to be seen.

Indiana has some wind in their sails with solid wins over Rutgers and Penn State. But complacency can be an issue for the Hoosiers, so there’s no reason to rest on any laurels. A home loss to USC would more than negate the bit of positive momentum Indiana got from the win against Penn State in terms of its push for a NCAA Tournament bid.

For USC, Wednesday’s game is a chance to prove they can compete in the Big Ten. For Indiana, it’s a chance to get to 4-1 in the Big Ten before the degree of conference difficulty ratchets up starting on Saturday at Iowa.

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