5 things to watch as USC men’s basketball faces Bennett Stirtz, Iowa

USC men’s basketball and Iowa men’s basketball have had very similar seasons. Both squads have double digit wins (USC 15, Iowa 14) and only 5 losses, both largely dominated non conference play, both have some big wins, but both have struggled to beat ranked Big Ten teams.

3 of the Trojans’ 5 losses are against ranked Big Ten teams. 3 of the Hawkeyes’ 5 losses are also against ranked Big Ten teams, including 2 common opponents: Michigan State and Purdue.

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That makes this game one that could separate the two teams in the loaded Big Ten conference standings, vaulting one team into the NCAA Tournament and leaving the other on the outside looking in.

Can the Trojans win their second straight game on the road? Let’s talk about it. Here are five things to watch as USC takes on Iowa in Iowa City on Wednesday:

USC must slow down Bennett Stirtz

The Hawkeyes have a clear star. Senior point guard Bennett Stirtz averages 18.3 points (7th in the Big Ten) and 5 assists per game.

USC head coach Eric Musselman was clear in his postgame press conference comments following the Trojans’ win over Wisconsin that they are already thinking hard about how to contain Stirtz.

“[Iowa has] a point guard that plays at his own pace, who’s an All-Big 10 type player,” Musselman said. “We have our work cut out for us…”

Can the Trojan defense lock down Stirtz?

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Defense does continue to get better

Speaking of that USC defense, it has continued to improve over the last few games. Following a very solid performance defensively against Purdue a couple of games ago, USC put together one of its best defensive performances of the season on the road against Wisconsin.

The Trojans held the Badgers to 34% shooting from the field and 24% shooting from three-point range. Badger star Nick Boyd scored 29 points, but the Badgers’ second-leading scorer, John Blackwell, was held to 11 points on 3-13 shooting.

USC’s offense was exceptional to begin the season, but the defense struggled out of the gate. Can the…

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Publish date : 2026-01-27 13:38:00

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