The reality surrounding USC men’s basketball is not a pleasant one, but it’s also not something to panic about in a long-term context. Eric Musselman is going through his own growing pains at USC, but what is happening this year might have little bearing on what happens in future seasons in Los Angeles. For the moment, though, life isn’t fun for the Men of Troy. They lost a second game in Palm Desert, California, falling 83-73 to New Mexico on Friday night.
The Trojans could not score on Thursday in their loss to Saint Mary’s, posting just 36 points. Friday, they couldn’t defend, allowing 83 to New Mexico. It’s always something, and it’s not just one thing, for the Trojans. That is the biggest concern. If the team had one flaw, Musselman could address it and the collective would have a chance to be really good. However, this team doesn’t have one flaw. It has many. Opponents are able to expose them, and the fact of the matter is that USC is just not ready to win big right now. The NCAA Tournament is an unrealistic goal at this point. USC has to simply improve before it can entertain bigger goals.
New Mexico unleashed a 14-0 run to break this game open in the second half after USC — down 13 — had cut UNM’s lead to just four, at 47-43. USC goes through scoring droughts, and it also goes through five-minute segments in which other teams pile up the points. At both ends of the floor, USC doesn’t have the physical heft to overpower comparably skilled opponents. Even against smaller teams — as we saw the past few weeks against Idaho State, UT Arlington, and Grambling — the Trojans couldn’t really separate from the opposition. A roster comprised of transfers was always going to need a developmental process, but the bigger point is that the transfers haven’t fit very well together.
Eric Musselman should recruit well. He will need to. In Year 1, however, he had to piece together a roster on the fly. This season will not look like future seasons. Right now, however, USC is taking its lumps, and there will probably be more lumps in the coming weeks.
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