USC’s game against Minnesota on Saturday carried more emotional weight than a typical matchup for Trojans coach Eric Musselman. He spent his formative years in Minneapolis while his father, Bill Musselman, coached Minnesota from 1971 to 1975, winning a Big Ten title in the process.
Eric Musselman probably won’t be reminiscing about what he saw from the Trojans in his first game coaching against Minnesota. USC was unable to hold back a late Minnesota surge in a 69-66 loss at Galen Center that complicated USC’s already tenuous NCAA tournament aspirations.
In the bonus, a late foul on a driving Lu’Cye Patterson sent the Minnesota guard to the line for a one-and-one, with USC holding a 66-65 lead. Patterson hit both free throws to put the Golden Gophers ahead.
USC (14-11 overall, 6-8 Big Ten) had a chance to win the game with one of its final possessions, but a turnover by Desmond Claude — his sixth of the game — coupled with two more Patterson free throws sealed the win for Minnesota (13-12, 5-9).
“We’re off the bubble,” Musselman said about where USC’s NCAA tournament hopes stand. “We have a two-game road trip coming up — Ohio State is sitting here [just ahead in the standings] waiting on us. … The importance of this game was monumental.”
For the first 36 minutes, USC led the game, and at times, was in solid control, leading by as much as 14. The Golden Gophers, however, started to chip away in the second half. A 13-3 run gave Minnesota a 53-52 lead with 7:16 left.
With the score tied 59-59, Wesley Yates III hit a three-pointer with 3:59 left to give the Trojans a 62-59 lead, but USC couldn’t keep up its momentum. Frank Mitchell scored back-to-back baskets for Minnesota to make it a one-point score before Patterson’s free throws put Minnesota ahead for good.
“Trying to make the Big Ten tournament,” Musselman said about the Trojans’ primary goal for the remainder of the regular season. “I told the staff at the beginning of the year that I thought making the Big Ten tournament was, one, something we didn’t want to be left out of. And now, that’s in jeopardy, obviously.”
Yates finished with 18 points, going three for four from three-point range and five for five from the free-throw line. He was one of three Trojans in double figures, alongside Chibuzo Agbo and Claude, who scored 18 and 12 points, respectively.
But, it was ultimately not enough for a Trojans team that was outscored 40-28 in the second half.
“That was a tough loss,” Agbo said. “We knew this game was really important to us.”