Hi, everyone! I’m Ryan Kartje, and welcome back to The Times of Troy newsletter, where we’re still reeling from a wild week for basketball in Los Angeles. You might have heard that Luka Doncic is a Laker now. Crazy! Fortunately, we’ve got a Lakers newsletter to delve deeply into that story too. But a few hours before the most unbelievable trade of our lifetimes, there was another major basketball moment that you might have missed, just down the street Saturday. It came courtesy of Eric Musselman and his USC basketball team.

USC was just 1-4 at home against Big Ten teams heading into Saturday, when Tom Izzo and Michigan State, winners of 13 in a row, came to town. A quick glance at KenPom probably would have given you the impression USC was well overmatched.

But that’s not how it looked Saturday, as USC upset the Spartans for its first top-10 win of the Muss era. Nor did it look that way in a loss to UCLA or in road victories at Illinois and Nebraska. USC led Michigan State from start to finish, warding off each and every push from the Spartans, in spite of the fact that their home arena was overrun by opposing fans and essentially hostile territory.

“They have good players, and they have good size,” Izzo said. “It was just a tough matchup for us. And sometimes matchups make a difference in games.”

No one was saying that about USC after its 5-4 start in December. This is a totally different team than the one that lost to California in November or scored 36 points against Saint Mary’s. This USC team has the capacity to make some noise in March.

The question is whether it’s too late for that to be a possibility. USC, at 13-8, is on the wrong side of the tournament bubble at the moment. Its resume still needs some work, with a 3-6 record against teams ranked as Quad 1 by the NET rankings. But with six Quad 1 games still to go, USC will have a chance to make a case.

Doing so means making another statement like it did Saturday sometime over the next four weeks. Road games against Purdue, Maryland, Oregon and UCLA should be prime opportunities, and I feel confident that USC will compete in all four.

I’m not so sure, however, that USC can maintain that same intensity over the rest of its schedule. It has taken its eye off the ball during stretches this season. Particularly when the team plays at home. USC can’t afford to drop games to the likes of Penn State, Rutgers or Minnesota if it hopes to keep clinging to the bubble for dear life.

I asked Musselman after the game Saturday what he thought USC needed to show still to get into the tournament.

“We as a group really understand that the only way for us to win is to be ultra-focused,” Musselman said. “Maybe out-talented at times, maybe deeper benches that we’re playing. Just play for 40 minutes, and see where it comes out.”

Musselman kept talking. And his rant, which also touched on the topic of halves vs. quarters, made clear that he doesn’t believe the analytics do his team justice.

“The numbers, the KenPom and all that — I don’t even want to get into it,” Musselman said. “To beat somebody in nonconference by 30 and that holds more weight than beating them by 10, it’s a joke. It’s a joke how those numbers go.

“A computer doesn’t understand basketball. So how is a computer deciding who gets in the tournament? It’s unfathomable.”

A computer may ultimately be what keeps USC out of the NCAA tournament. But making a tournament run in Musselman’s first season was always going to be a tall task. He was handed a program that had one returning player and asked to rebuild a roster in a single month. And he was honest about its shortcomings. He didn’t have a pure point guard or any semblance of rim protection.

But after a few months of figuring it out, USC has finally found itself. Whether that will be enough to get to the tournament, we’ll have to wait and see.

Personnel moves

When USC announced it was hiring a new general manager last month, it wasn’t just filling a vacancy at the top of its personnel operation. The point was to rethink its infrastructure.

USC hired a consultant with years of NFL experience to pore over its personnel operation and offer suggestions. I thought at the time that might indicate that USC would follow a more professional, NFL-like approach in revamping the department. But USC’s new general manager hire — and the other personnel hires since — have leaned less into cap-crunching, front-office experience and more into success in the recruiting realm.

That’s not to say that’s the wrong direction to go. New GM Chad Bowden is, by all accounts, a rising star in the personnel world. Zaire Turner, who also comes to USC from Notre Dame, was the second woman in college football to hold the title of director of player personnel. Dre Brown had just left Notre Dame to work at Illinois, where he was also a director of player personnel. All three are known for their excellent work in recruiting.

That’s clearly an area that USC’s leaders felt could use a refresh. Other personnel staffers have since been moved into different roles. Weston Zernechel, who had been USC’s director of player personnel, was shifted to director of recruiting. Drew Fox, who was assistant director of player personnel, is now leading NFL and high school relations, while Skylar Phan, formerly director of recruiting operations, is now director of recruiting strategy.

Clarice Akunwafo and USC had a tough time with Hannah Stuelke and Iowa on Sunday.

(Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)

—The USC women’s 15-game win streak ended Sunday in Iowa City, reminding us for at least one afternoon that JuJu Watkins and Co. are, in fact, mortal. But this result feels more like an isolated blip than a sign that the tables are turning on the Trojans. USC played about as poorly as it has all season from the start, missing its first 13 shots and scoring just four points in a disastrous first quarter. Beyond Watkins creating for herself, the offense was stagnant for long stretches. Even the defense, which is usually suffocating inside the arc, lagged at times. USC committed 24 fouls and turned the ball over 18 times. And yet, for most of the game, USC was right there, on the road in a hostile atmosphere. This team is incredibly talented. It can win games in which it plays poorly. But it still has plenty to iron out over the next month, with a Final Four appearance the expectation in March.

—Alijah Arenas, a five-star guard and top-10 prospect in the 2025 class, committed to Eric Musselman and USC on Thursday. And the reaction from Musselman, whose FaceTime with Arenas was recorded via live YouTube stream of the podcast “Gil’s Arena,” said it all about how critical that commitment was for USC’s future. “What?!” Musselman cried. “Let’s go! Are you serious?! Let’s go!” The new Trojans coach was clear that he’d bring a “relentless” approach to recruiting the Southland, and here was proof of that progress. No coach had spent more time talking and watching and getting to know Arenas, and that paid off. Now, USC has the seventh-ranked class in 2025 according to 247 Sports, and Musselman has proof that he can lure top talent to the Trojans.

—Private equity is interested in investing in the Big Ten. And the Big Ten might seriously be exploring it. According to a report from Daniel Libit of Sportico, the conference is dipping its toes in private equity’s deep pool of money by taking preliminary bids from venture capital firms. That move, which comes after the Big Ten reported $880 million in revenue in 2023, contradicts the tone Big Ten commissioner Tony Pettiti set in regards to private equity investment back in October. But with another major step in the House settlement ahead — and the cost of doing business becoming more expensive — it looks like we can’t rule out private equity swooping into college football and, inevitably, making it worse.

In case you missed it

No. 4 USC rallies after poor start before losing at Iowa

USC responds to Eric Musselman’s challenge in upset over No. 7 Michigan State

No. 4 USC overcomes JuJu Watkins at her worst in win over Minnesota

Five-star Chatsworth guard Alijah Arenas commits to Eric Musselman and USC

‘A huge problem’: USC’s free-throw shooting woes prove costly in loss to UCLA

Sebastian Mack’s late heroics help UCLA edge USC and extend its winning streak

Saint Thomas pushes to overcome mental health challenges to become X factor for USC

What I’m Watching This Week

“The Traitors” host Alan Cumming holding a couple of the show’s Emmy Awards.

(Jason Armond/Los Angeles Times)

Let’s take a break from our Best Picture marathon to catch up on my current obsession. “The Traitors,” as far as I’m concerned, is the best competition reality show on TV. Reality show stars gather in a giant mansion in Scotland, where they’re divided into “Faithfuls” and “Traitors.” While the Traitors slowly pick off Faithfuls, the Faithfuls try to root out the Traitors. I’m a sucker for a good strategy game, and this one is almost as good as my all-time favorite competition show, “The Mole.” (Which you can still watch on Netflix.)