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USC Basketball Turns Heads with Latest Move to Build Student Section at Galen Center

The USC Trojans men's basketball team is 8-0 to start the 2025 season, and some of the team's players visited USC fraternity houses with donuts in an attempt to encourage students to attend the Trojans' upcoming game against the Washington Huskies in the Galen Center.
Charlie Viehl|
Dec 2, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Chad Baker-Mazara (4) drives to the basket between Oregon Ducks center Ege Demir (16) and forward Dezdrick Lindsay (4) during the second half at Matthew Knight Arena.
Dec 2, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Chad Baker-Mazara (4) drives to the basket between Oregon Ducks center Ege Demir (16) and forward Dezdrick Lindsay (4) during the second half at Matthew Knight Arena. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

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The USC Trojans men's basketball team is 8-0 to start the 2025 season, and some of the team's players visited USC fraternity houses with donuts in an attempt to encourage students to attend the Trojans' upcoming game against the Washington Huskies in the Galen Center.

USC coach Eric Musselman has been creative in his ways to boost student attendance for the Trojans, and maybe donuts will do the trick. In addition to visiting USC's "Frat Row," the Trojans have also made Saturday's game against Washington a "black out." In style with the theme, USC's players will also be wearing black retro uniforms against the Huskies.

USC trojans basketball black out washington huskies galen center student section donuts frat row eric musselman big ten
Dec 2, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Chad Baker-Mazara (4) is introduced before the game against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

USC guard Chad Baker-Mazara leads the team in scoring, averaging 20.9 points per game, but fellow guard Rodney Rice is not far behind. Rice is scoring 20.3 points per game for the Trojans while also contributing six assists per game. Both Baker-Mazara (37.3 percent) and Rice (38.5 percent) are close to making 40 percent of their three-point attempts on the season. So far, Musselman's team has excelled at protecting the basketball and remaining active on the defensive end.

Trojans forward Jacob Cofie leads the way with 7.1 rebounds per game and 2.4 blocks per game.

USC's Struggles with Home-Court Advantage

In the 2024-25 season, USC lost a game at home to Michigan in which Wolverines fans packed the Galen Center and took away any feeling of home-court advantage for the Trojans. After the game, Musselman expressed his frustrations when speaking to the media:

USC trojans basketball black out washington huskies galen center student section donuts frat row eric musselman big ten
Dec 2, 2025; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman, right, reacts during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Matthew Knight Arena. | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

"We had no home-court advantage," Musselman said. "That’s just how it is. It’s been that way. And we gotta continue to work as a program to make it more of a home-court advantage."

USC finished the 2024-25 season under .500 with a 17-18 record, but this season has been a different story entirely. The Trojans not only won the Maui Invitational with a win over Arizona State, Musselman and his team are perfect through eight games.

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Washington vs. USC Betting odds

USC trojans basketball black out washington huskies galen center student section donuts frat row eric musselman big ten
Nov 9, 2025; Waco, Texas, USA; Washington Huskies guard Wesley Yates III (9) controls the ball as Baylor Bears guard Tounde Yessoufou (24) defends during the first half at Paul and Alejandra Foster Pavilion. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

Against Washington, USC is favored by 7.5 points. The Trojan's moneyline odds are -365 while Washington is at +285. The over/under points total is currently set at 155.5.

Washington is currently 5-3 with an 0-1 record in conference play. The Huskies' lineup features former Trojans guards Wesley Yates III and Desmond Claude. Will their return inspire any more USC students to be in attendance for Saturday's game?

USC and Washington will tip off at 3 p.m. PT from the Galen Center on Saturday, Dec. 6 as the Trojans look to defend their perfect record.

  • Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 
  • If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER. 

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Charlie Viehl
CHARLIE VIEHL

Charlie Viehl is the deputy editor for the Oregon Ducks, Colorado Buffaloes, and USC Trojans on SI. He has written hundreds of articles for SI and has covered events like the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician, holding a degree in Music and Philosophy from Boston College. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.

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