USC Trojans’ Eric Musselman Upset With Questionable Big Ten Basketball Officiating

The USC Trojans are coming off a 69-66 loss against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. After the game, USC coach Eric Musselman voiced his frustration regarding the Big Ten officiating crew. Despite the questionable calls and the Trojans' loss, USC is firmly on the bubble when it comes to making the NCAA Tournament.

Angela Miele | Feb 18, 2025

Feb 7, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; USC Trojans head coach Eric Musselman shares a moment with a referee during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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The USC Trojans men’s basketball team is coming off a loss against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 69-66. The loss caused the Trojans to fall to a 14-11 record, 6-8 in Big Ten conference play. After the game, USC coach Eric Musselman voiced his frustration with the officiating.

The Trojans led the game 66-65 with 23.2 seconds remaining. As USC had possession of the ball, the referees blew the whistle. It was ruled a USC turnover and then a foul to give Minnesota two free throws.

Following that incident, USC committed another turnover and foul, awarding Minnesota two more free throws. The free throws landed Minnesota the 69-66 win.

“I don’t want to get fined, but I just watched it,” Musselman said. “We have the ball. We clearly have the ball. It’s inbounded and we dribbled the ball several times.”

Musselman called out Minnesota coach Ben Johnson for stepping on the court, causing the sequence of events that closed out the game.

“Minnesota’s coach went out on the floor. Wasn’t on the sideline, he was out on the floor, and the guy inadvertently blew a whistle. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Musselman said.

Musselman followed his statement about his frustration with what happened after the whistle, which led to the Trojans' loss.

Feb 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

“Then the next sequence is a dribble drive by (Lu’Cye) Patterson and probably hand checked him on the dribble drive before the shot. They got two. Desmond (Claude) had a dribble drive and the ball was clearly off of Desmond. I just watched it,” Mussleman said.

“Could’ve been a hand check basically of the same type as Mitchell’s was off the dribble. Been coaching a long time but never seen a sequence like that," Musselman continued.

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While the fouls USC gave up in the end did lead to the loss. Musselman reiterated his frustration towards Minnesota’s coach stepping onto the court.

“I’m not even gonna complain about that part. What I am gonna complain about is someone going out on the court when we have the ball. But look, I want to be perfectly clear, they beat us,” Musselman said.

The Trojans held the lead until the last 23.2 seconds of the game. USC guards Wesley Yates III and Chibuzo Agbo led the team in scoring with 18 points each. The loss dropped the Trojans to a 6-8 conference record with just six more games of the regular season.

This is not the first time that Musselman has been vocal about the officiating this year. On Jan. 4, the USC Trojans faced the Michigan Wolverines. USC ended the game with 21 fouls.

Feb 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman (right) talks with guard Desmond Claude (1) and guard Wesley Yates III (6) against the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Musselman was asked after the game against Michigan if there was frustration with the officiating crew.

“I mean, there is, but I’m not gonna say it. I’m a first-year coach in the league you know. So is Dusty but, it’s not worth talking about, to be honest. Because there was a stretch there that we were not trying to foul,” Musselman said. “We were trying to be super disciplined and they went to the foul line. When we were way more aggressive early in the game and there wasn’t fouls.”

The USC Trojans will face the No. 20 Maryland Terrapins on Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m. PT. The game will be held at Xfinity Center College Park in Maryland.

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