USC basketball falls at Rutgers, could miss Big Ten Tournament

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It has not been the best season for USC men’s basketball. After playing relatively well in January, the Trojans have collapsed down the stretch in February. At this point, USC’s NCAA Tournament hopes are almost entirely dead.

Even as the Trojans have tailed off in recent weeks, the silver lining has been that at least USC would have the Big Ten Tournament as an opportunity to make one final desperation push at March Madness. After Sunday’s loss at Rutgers, however—the Trojans’ fifth defeat in their past six games—even that appears to potentially be in jeopardy.

Facing a Scarlet Knights team that entered the day below .500 on the season, Eric Musselman’s squad struggled mightily on defense. Rutgers’s 95 points were tied for the most the Trojans the Trojans have allowed this season. Scarlet Knights freshman Dylan Harper shined in his team’s win, recording 25 points, nine assists, and six steals.

With the loss, the Trojans fell to 6-10 in Big Ten play. USC is currently in a three-way tie with Minnesota and Iowa for 15th place in the conference standings.

Only 15 of the conference’s 18 teams qualify for the Big Ten Tournament. Hence, if the Trojans want to make it to Indianapolis, they need to ensure that they finish outside of the bottom three of the conference standings. Right now, USC sits just one game ahead of Northwestern for that 15th and final spot.

This was always going to be a rebuilding year for Musselman and his staff. The first-year head coach inherited just one returning scholarship player from last season’s squad. But after the promising start to Big Ten play—including two top-ten upsets—missing the conference tournament altogether would certainly be a bit of a disappointment.

Up next, USC returns home to face Ohio State at Galen Center on Wednesday night. Tipoff will be at 7:30 p.m Pacific time on Big Ten Network.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC’s Big Ten Tournament status uncertain after Rutgers stumble

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/usc-basketball-falls-rutgers-could-121502526.html

Author : Trojans Wire

Publish date : 2025-02-24 12:15:00

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