USC’s upset bid falls frustratingly short in season-ending loss to Purdue
USC guard Desmond Claude drives against Purdue forward Camden Heide during the second half Thursday in the second round of the Big Ten tournament. (Michael Conroy / AP)
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — INDIANAPOLIS — Desmond Claude sprinted as fast as he could down the hardwood, knowing the season was in his hands and precious time was ticking off the clock. He already tried once before to tie it, flying into the fray for a floater that bounced off the back iron.
But a missed free throw gave Claude hope as he came flying across halfcourt, only for his handoff pass to be snatched amid a crashing collection of bodies. Suddenly, after such a gutsy fight, any hope of USC’s season surviving had slipped away in a 76-71 loss to Purdue.
The season-ending steal was not without controversy. Wesley Yates threw his hands up in disbelief. Coach Eric Musselman whispered expletives under his breath, shaking his head.
All game, USC (16-17) had held in a deadlock with Purdue (22-10), refusing to let up. Even as the roars of Purdue fans echoed with each back-and-forth run, USC kept coming back. They fought through early foul trouble from Claude, who finished with 18 points, and early struggles with Yates, who had 13 points.
They’d already been through a battle the night before, a double-overtime thriller that saw all five of the Trojans’ starters play more than 40 minutes. But all season, Musselman had pushed his small rotation to the brink, and Thursday, USC showed no signs of slowing.
It survived without its top scorer for long stretches. Claude picked up two quick fouls in the first half, and Musselman chose to sit him for the final 13 minutes. He returned in the second half, only to draw two more quick fouls.
With both teams deadlocked, Musselman brought Claude back in with just over 10 minutes remaining, knowing he had no other choice. From there, the Trojans floor general made up for lost time, in spite of his four fouls. He shook off a defender and hit a pull-up. Then he did it again. And again.
Claude scored 10 straight for the Trojans, hitting a pull-up with under a minute remaining to tie it.
With 28 seconds left and the game tied 71-71, Rashaun Agee was called for a foul, sending Purdue’s leading scorer, Trey Kaufman-Renn to the line. He hit both, and tied a career high with 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting. The Trojans had no answer for him.
Claude wasted no time in trying to tie it up again, flying through the lane for a floater. But it bounced off the iron. He finished with a team-high 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Claude undoubtedly would have scored more points, but he only played 21 minutes due to his persistent foul trouble.
USC got one more chance, after Kaufman-Renn missed another free throw. This time, though, their last hopes was stripped at halfcourt.
“This is probably the most difficult game I’ve ever lost with a team, and I’ve been coaching a really, really long time,” Musselman said. “Look, we played well enough to win. That’s all I can say. I’m going to keep reiterating give Purdue credit. We’re new, we’ve got to earn respect.”
The Trojans missed six of their last eight shots from the field to end the first half, then missed 10 of their last 12 to end the game.
USC dropped below .500 with the loss, finishing 16-17 overall and 7-13 in its first Big Ten slate. Barring a postseason NIT invite (and USC should be a candidate), Musselman’s first season in Los Angeles is in the books. Purdue, meanwhile, advances to take on Michigan on Friday in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals.
Purdue Coach Matt Painter
“Obviously it was a very tough, physical game. USC was very resilient. Tough covers, like they have good players. Obviously, Yates had 30 against us in the first game. Claude didn’t play in the first game. He obviously got in foul trouble.
“Their ability to break you down off the dribble and make plays is difficult to guard. You go through scouting reports, you go through a lot of different things to work on to try to really kind of build in your help and get them, but when people just get in space and look to attack you, sometimes that’s something that is pretty difficult to do. I thought our guys showed some discipline, very fortunate that they missed a pretty good shot there at the end and were able to get that rebound.”
latimes.com
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The 28-3 USC women have been named the #1 seed in Regional 4 (Spokane) of the NCAAs.
The Trojan’s first opponent will be #16 seed UNC Greensboro (25-6, first appearance since 1998 and only the 2nd all-time).
UConn is the #2 seed in their bracket. They should handle everyone else. Then if all goes well, UCLA in the semi? Not an easy road past the first 2-3 games. But that’s March Madness!
Think of how both UCONN and UCLA feel. They have to play USC again much earlier than they had hoped, I suspect. It works both ways. In the end, you’ve gotta beat the best to be the best. si.com — USC is the No. 1 seed, and they are placed in the Spokane Region. The Trojans will play their first and second-round games at the Galen Center. In the first round, USC will face No. 16 UNC Greensboro. Should the Trojans advance, they will face the winner of No. 8 Cal vs. No. 9 Mississippi State. Other teams in USC’s… Read more »
The brackets for the men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be announced via selection shows today, March 16.
The men’s 68-team field will be revealed on CBS, with coverage set for 3 p.m. PT.
The women’s selection show will come up shortly thereafter, with ESPN broadcasting the bracket show at 5 p.m. PT.
Allen, changing the subject somewhat, why did Jen Cohend let Track Coach Caryl Gil Bert smith go to UCLA? I thought she did a great job building up the program to championship level. You try to keep those kind of coaches?
If I’m not mistaken, Caryl Smith-Gilbert left USC to be the Director of GA Men’s/Women’s Track when Mike Bohn was AD in 2021. She was a great coach at USC, and I don’t know why the UCLA grad/trackster left for the Bulldogs, though I presume it was over money and the fact USC had Trojan track star/Olympian Quincy Watts on staff waiting in the wings. Since Watts just led the Trojans to the first men’s outdoor title since 1972, I don’t see any dropoff whatsoever. JMHO. onlineathens.com — “One of her reasons for Smith-Gilbert coming to the opposite side of… Read more »
USC Men Win Team Title, Women Place Third At NCAA Indoor T&F Championships Men earn first indoor team title since 1972 USCTrojans.com — The USC men’s team won the team title and the women’s team placed third during the final day of the 2025 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships being held at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va. today (March 15). Junior Dajaz DeFrand was the only individual event-winner, taking home the crown in the women’s 60m dash final. USC was one of two schools to have both the men’s and women’s teams finish in the top three… Read more »
USC basketball players, Eric Musselman denounce Big Ten officials after Purdue loss: ‘They screwed us’ The Trojans were not thrilled with the Big Ten officials. Carter Bahns (247Sports.com) — USC gave Purdue an upset scare in the Big Ten Tournament but fell just short in a 76-71 loss, and Trojans players directed their frustration towards the officiating crew after the heartbreaking defeat. Between the disparity in the foul total and a critical no-call in the closing seconds of the second-round contest, USC players said they felt wronged by the whistle. The no-call, in particular, played an integral role in determining the game’s outcome. Down… Read more »
MICH leads PUR 40-36 at half.
USC Lands Monster Top 100 DL Jaimeon Winfield To Its No. 1 Recruiting Class Chris Trevino (USCFootball.com) — USC football landed that Texas beef. The Trojans added its hot streak on the recruiting trail with a massive Friday commitment from Top 100 four-star 2026 Richardson (TX) DL Jaimeon Winfield, one of the most sought-after linemen in the Lone Star State. The 6-foot-4, 290-pound Winfield is the fourth USC commitment this week along with four-star Draper (Utah) OL Esun Tafa, four-star Rancho Santa Margarita (CA) Santa Margarita Catholic WR Trent Mosley and three-star Mountain View (CA) St. Francis OL John Fifita. Winfield held a slew of national offers from… Read more »
Wow, of the 15 commits for 2026, 6 are in the top 10 for their position and another 4 are in the top 20. That does mean they are 2-3 years away from impact on the field. But looking real good. This seasons talent should be good enough for playoffs.
Good enough talent for the 2025 Playoffs — absolutely!
2026 could be special.
Isn’t that what we thought this last season?
Hah! Don’t remind me…
I don’t know how much you can really tell by highlight film but he looks great on film. He gets penetration. I love interior D-Linemen who get into the backfield fast or push the opposing O-Lineman into the backfield. That messes up the timing of the play.
Excellent!