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USC men’s basketball’s most recent game against Washington produced a result that the Trojans likely want to quickly forget about. Quincy Pondexter, Desmond Claude and Wesley Yates III returned to Los Angeles and beat USC 84-76 at Galen Center after the Trojans had an 18-point lead in the first half.
Claude and Yates III combined for 38 points, Hannes Steinbach added 24 of his own and USC was left with a stunning upset after shooting 37% from the field.
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But luckily, the nature of collegiate sports provides the Trojans two opportunities to quickly forget about this loss. For one, USC women’s basketball got revenge on the Huskies just one day later, beating the Washington women’s basketball team 59-50.
For another, USC quickly gets another chance to play on Tuesday against San Diego. The best way to move on from a loss is always to get back in the win column.
How can USC do that against the Toreros? Here are five things to watch as the USC Trojans (8-1) take on the San Diego Toreros (3-5) on Tuesday night and look to improve to 2-0 in Big Ten conference play:
How does USC respond to a loss?
Losing to a bitter rival after leading by 18 points is always tough, and if the Trojans aren’t careful, it could affect their confidence and focus.
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Now, playing against San Diego isn’t exactly a massive challenge on paper. The Toreros are a small conference team with a 3-5 record, including losses to other small conference teams such as Idaho State, UC Riverside, Cal Baptist, Long Beach State and San Jose State.
But, record aside, we haven’t seen how this Trojan team responds to losing yet. They have responded to plenty of adversity throughout the season, including injuries to key players. But a first taste of losing has caused plenty of great teams to lose to lesser teams.
Watch the Trojans’ body language, interactions with one another, and energy levels in this one, especially if they struggle early.
Fan attendance for both teams
This represents a rare opportunity for…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/5-things-watch-usc-mens-183351873.html
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Publish date : 2025-12-08 18:33:00
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