How to Watch USC Trojans vs. Minnesota Men's Basketball: Preview, Prediction

The USC Trojans men's basketball team is 14-10. USC coach Eric Musselman and his team will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. PT. Preview, prediction, and TV channel for the matchup at Galen Center.

Angela Miele | Feb 14, 2025

Feb 11, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Desmond Claude (1) enters the court against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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The USC Trojans men’s basketball team is 14-10, 6-7 in Big Ten conference play. The Trojans are coming off a dominant win against Penn State, and they are looking to finish the last stretch of games on a high note. The Trojans will face the 12-12 Minnesota Golden Gophers on Feb. 15.

How to Watch:

The USC Trojans men’s basketball team will face the Minnesota Golden Gophers at 1 p.m. PT on Saturday at Galen Center in Los Angeles, California. The game broadcast will be on the Big Ten Network.

USC vs. Minnesota preview:

The USC Trojans are coming off a crucial and dominating win against the Penn State Nittany Lions, 92-67.

USC coach Eric Musselman called this a must-win after USC had lost two in a row. Musselman also highlighted USC’s medical staff for getting the Trojans ready for the matchup. Between players being sick and USC guard Desmond Claude still dealing with a knee injury, the medical staff got the players onto the court.

“Shout out to the medical staff for getting Buzo and Wesley available to just put on a uniform. The entire medical staff did a phenomenal job cause those guys were sick,” Musselman said. “And then you in add the fact that Desmond, with the bone bruise, you know could have been out three weeks and it was round-the-clock rehab and credit to the player, credit to the medical staff to get him ready.”

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Despite Claude coming back from the knee injury, he managed to score 16 points against Penn State. USC guard Chibuzo Agbo led the team with 21 points. With the recent struggles of the men’s basketball team, not every player was stepping up each game. Against the Nittany Lions, four players scored double-digit points, which the team must continue to do consistently. USC is averaging 77 points this season.

The Trojans are 11-5 while playing at home, their most notable home win being against the No. 7 Michigan State Spartans. USC has just three more home games, starting with the matchup against Minnesota.

The Minnesota Golden Gophers are 12-12 this season, 4-9 in Big Ten conference play. Minnesota is just 2-4 on the road this season ahead of their trip to Galen Center. The Gophers are coming off a 95-74 loss against Illinois, looking to bounce back against the Trojans.

Feb 7, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; USC Trojans guard Chibuzo Agbo (7) looks to get p past Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) during the second half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images / Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Minnesota is averaging 69 points per game, with forward Dawson Garcia leading the team with 19.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. USC will have a couple of players to watch out for on the Golden Gophers team. Minnesota guard Lu’Cye Patterson leads the team with 3.6 assists. Guard Femi Odukale leads averaging 1.4 steals and forward Parker Fox leads the Golden Gophers with 1.2 blocks.

The USC Trojans and Minnesota Golden Gophers do not have a long history against each other. The last time the two teams faced was in Dec. 2011, with Minnesota getting the win. This will be the first time Minnesota plays against USC at Galen Center.

USC vs. Minnesota prediction:

The USC Trojans will defeat the Minnesota Golden Gophers 79-65.

After USC faces Minnesota the Trojans will face the No. 25 Maryland Terrapins on Feb. 20 at 5:30 p.m. PT at Xfinity Center College Park, Maryland.

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