USC Trojans' Eric Musselman Criticizes Team's Passion For Rivalry vs. UCLA Bruins

The USC Trojans suffered a tough 90-63 loss to the UCLA Bruins to end their regular season. USC coach Eric Musselman called out his players' defense and passion for the rivalry vs. UCLA after the game. The Trojans have a lot to work on if they plan on making a run to try and earn an at-large NCAA tournament bid.

Mar 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Wesley Yates III (6) shoots against UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans men's basketball team has some soul searching to do after getting blown out in the regular season finale vs. crosstown rival UCLA.

Before heading to the 2025 Big Ten Tournament, the Trojans suffered through a tough stretch to cap off their regular season. USC lost six of their final seven games of the season, including their 90-63 loss to the Bruins in their finale.

Feb 23, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; USC Trojans guard Wesley Yates III (6) during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

USC coach Eric Musselman was honest about the way his team looked during the loss at Pauley Pavillon.

"I felt like the rivalry, they [USC players] didn't understand. Even in game, and they certainly didn't understand today what it means to the student body at USC, what it means to boosters and alumni," Musselman said. "We played the game like we played any normal game and it's not supposed to be a normal game."

To put things into perspective, it's the first time UCLA has swept the Trojans in a season since Mick Cronin took over the program in 2019.

The Trojans struggled to contain the Bruins' offense for a majority of the game. UCLA shot an effective 61 percent from the field, including 45 percent from behind the arc.

"You look at our starting unit defensively in a lot of the recent game, teams are shooting percentages against us that you dont even shoot when nobody is guarding you. Look at the three point shots in some of our recent games, recent halves, teams are shooting 70 percent," Musselman said.

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USC coach Eric Musselman cheers his team during the first half against Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena Saturday, March 1, 2025. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"We got to get a lot better. I know that, I'm positive about that. And we will," Musselman said. "We've got to take better care of the basketball. We've got to get more defenders here and got to build a team of competitors. It's going to be a busy time for us in the next few weeks."

USC currently has three committed prospects in their 2025 recruiting class. The Trojans flipped four-star Elzie Harrington away from Harvard and signed Jerry Easter in November 2024. Their biggest pickup in the class is five-star guard Alijah Arenas. If he ends up signing with the Trojans, Arenas would be the first five-star prospect Musselman has signed at USC.

The Trojans' coaching staff will have to balance the transfer portal and potential postseason play as the portal opens up on March 24. Musselman will be looking to replace key pieces with guard Desmond Claude, guard Wesley Yates, guard Isaiah Elohim, forward Jalen Shelley, and guard Kevin Patton being the only scholarship players set to return next season.

Forwards Saint Thomas, Rashaun Agee, and Terrence Williams II will explore options to potentially make a return back to USC next season with Williams and Thomas searching for medical/hardship waivers and Agee spending a season at the junior college level.

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