The final seconds were ticking away before tip-off, counting down to the start of a new era of USC hoops, when Eric Musselman first emerged from the Galen Center tunnel. Exactly seven months had passed since he took the reins as the Trojans’ coach, and in that time, he’d rebuilt the roster from scratch, doing what he could to stamp a stagnant program with his trademark intensity.
There was still plenty of work left to do, though, evidenced by the large swaths of empty seats throughout the arena. That part of Musselman’s plans will take much longer than a few months — and more compelling proof of concept than a couple of exhibition wins — to take hold. Sustaining it would be another thing entirely.
But for one night at least, most everything else would go according to plan as USC rolled past Tennessee Chattanooga 77-51 in Musselman’s debut.
That effort started on the defensive end, just as Musselman promised it would, as the Trojans shut down Chattanooga on the perimeter, holding the Mocs to a meager 28% shooting from the field. After letting Chattanooga hang around for most of the first half, USC fully clamped down in the second, suffocating the Mocs with their length.
USC guard Chibuzo Agbo led his team with 14, but as Musselman’s rotation extended to the very bottom of his bench, seven Trojans scored at least eight points.
Among those seven, none was more efficient than forward Matt Knowling, who hit all six of his shots on his way to 13 points. He also co-led USC in assists with four.