USC gives No. 12 Oregon a scare before collapsing late in Big Ten debut loss

The first month of his first season at USC hardly went as Eric Musselman had hoped. His USC offense struggled to score. His defense struggled to get stops. And on the glass, few of the 355 college basketball teams have been worse than the Trojans, who have struggled to shut down the likes of Grambling and Texas Arlington.

But after stumbling through the first eight games of the must-win era, USC’s Big Ten debut presented it with a chance to stem the tide of those early-season woes.

Until late Wednesday, the Trojans appeared to be on track to capitalize on that opportunity against Oregon, which was atop the conference after a flawless 8-0 start. Then, in the final minutes, it all ended for USC in a 68-60 loss to No. 12 Oregon.

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A defense that looked different for most of the game compared to its new form earlier in the season was overthrown in the final minutes. Three different Ducks scored three-pointers within a few possessions. One USC turnover turned into another…and another.

Within five minutes, Oregon had turned a five-point deficit into a five-point lead. And the Ducks didn’t look back.

It was an especially disappointing end considering how impressive USC (5-4) looked from the start. The Trojans looked like a completely different team in their Big Ten debut, pressuring the defense and outscoring Oregon on the boards.

By the time the Ducks got hot late, USC had held them to a measly 30% shooting from the field for 32 minutes. But the final eight would prove to be the problem.

Point guard Desmond Claude did his best to lead the Trojans over the finish line with a season-high 22 points. However, aside from Claude, few USC shooters managed to find their shot. The rest of the squad shot just 10 of 35.

Oregon opened the game by shooting just 1-for-8 from the field, while USC overwhelmed the Ducks on defense in a way not seen this season. Trying again in that regard, the Trojans forced nine turnovers in the first half, nearly matching Oregon’s per-game average before halftime, while limiting Oregon to just 23 points.

USC would need its defense to continue the heavy lifting from there. With both offenses limited to one half, the Trojans held tight to their lead in the second half, relying primarily on Claude to orchestrate whatever offense he could handle.

At some point this grip loosened. In a five-minute span as Oregon raced past USC, the Ducks scored five direct goals from the field, including three from long range. The barrage turned the game on its head at the worst possible time for USC, which lost its third straight game.

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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.