3 Key Numbers from Illinois Basketball's Loss to USC

The rebounding and defensive numbers – usually on Illinois' side – stood out like sore thumbs against the Trojans

Jan 11, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) directs the offense as USC Trojans guard Wesley Yates III (6) guards him during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

No. 13 Illinois (12-4, 4-2 Big Ten) went into Saturday's matchup on a high, but one game is sometimes all that's needed to bring a team back to Earth.

And maybe that's just what the Illini needed.

Matched up with a USC (10-6, 2-3 Big Ten) squad on a two-game skid and that had beaten only one high-major opponent all season, the Illini were expected to run the Trojans out of the State Farm Center. But after a back-and-forth first half that saw Illinois gain the momentum – and the lead – the visitors snatched it back again, cruising to an 82-72 win – USC’s first ranked win on the road since 2010.

Below are the numbers that explain just how the Trojans were able to pull off the upset – and how the Illini more or less let it happen.

Minus-3

Entering Saturday’s game, Illinois was ranked No. 1 in the country in both rebounding margin and rebounds per game. Facing a USC squad with a negative rebounding margin – an alarming sign for any Power Four team that had only played only four high-major games all season – the Illini were expected to thrash the Trojans on the glass. But we do not live in a simulation, and things didn't go nearly as planned in Champaign. A rebounding margin of minus-three is hardly insurmountable, but given that rebounding may be Illinois' best attribute and the fact that the team was missing its offensive catalyst (injured point guard Kasparas Jakucionis), the Illini weren't in a position to give away a shabby showing against a middle-of-the-road rebounding team.

52.3

For just the second time all year, an Illinois opponent shot over 50 percent from the field (USC: 34-for-65, or 52.3 percent). The other foe to do so – Alabama – happens to have the second-ranked offense in the country. Meanwhile, even after Saturday's performance, USC has an offensive efficiency that sits at a middling 83rd in Division I. To characterize it as the Illini’s worst defensive performance of the season would be a massive understatement. Much of the problem was based on the Illini’s inability to stop Desmond Claude, who just so happens to be our next topic of discussion. 

31

Claude almost single-handedly took down the No. 13-ranked Illini in Champaign – and without any benefit from the three-point line (where he went 0-for-2). Arguably one of the most impressive individual performances of the season, Claude poured in a season-high 31 points and tacked on three assists, while going 12-for-20 (60.0 percent) from the field and a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. Illinois’ defense had absolutely no answer for Claude, a 6-foot-6 junior guard, as he got to the rim at will, either finishing off plays himself or finding teammates for better looks.

As brilliant as Illini guard Kylan Boswell has been as an on-ball defender this season, the 6-foot-2 guard has some natural limitations against bigger backcourt scorers. Tre White is the closest thing the Illini have to a perimeter stopper with size, so he'll need to step in similar matchups in the future to keep Claude-like threats from getting downhill and finding shot openings around the paint.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

No. 13 Illinois Basketball Gets Outworked, Worked Over in Upset by USC

Report: Ty Rodgers Expected to Return to Illinois Basketball in New Role

Illinois Coach Brad Underwood on USC Loss: 'I've Gotta Be Better Than That'