In a matchup of two teams with mascots rooted in Greek mythology, the Trojans bounced back from last weekend’s loss to UC Berkeley with an 82-68 victory against the San José State Spartans at Galen Center on Wednesday night.

But Head Coach Eric Musselman is still trying to assemble the perfect rotation.

Last Sunday, USC (4-1) could only muster two points in the game’s final six minutes against Berkeley (3-1), leading to a five-point defeat. 

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Musselman shook up the lineup for Wednesday night’s duel with the Spartans (1-5), continuing to utilize the team’s non-conference slate as a chance to dissect the squad’s strengths and weaknesses before its inaugural Big Ten game in December.

Graduate forward Matt Knowling and sophomore guard Kevin Patton Jr. were thrust into the starting five, trading places with graduate forward Terrance Williams II and graduate guard Chibuzo Agbo. 

This shakeup seemed to light a fire underneath Williams and Agbo; despite coming off the bench, both players put up their best performances of the young season, with each scoring 20 points and combining for 12 rebounds.

The Trojans scored an astounding 54 points off the bench in total and flexed a level of depth that San José State couldn’t keep up with — the Spartans’ bench only managed 11 points.

While the home team walked off the court with a comfortable win, it wasn’t smooth sailing. USC played lax defense throughout the first half, giving the Spartans numerous opportunities for open shots in transition. San José finished the period shooting 50% from the 3-point line and only trailed by seven after 20 minutes.

The Spartans’ backcourt also had their best night of the season, a trend that’s beginning to haunt Musselman’s squad. Senior guard Josh Uduje scored 25 points while shooting at a perfect rate from three. Redshirt junior guard Will McClendon put up 18 points, with 13 coming in the first half. 

These performances aren’t anomalies; USC has allowed 20 or more points from an opposing guard in each of their last four games.

The Trojans have been able to pull out games against mid-major competitors this season based on depth alone, but serious improvements need to be made as the team prepares to take on stronger opposition. After the game, Musselman echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the squad’s issues with guarding and perimeter defense.

“I’m disappointed that the stars keep torching us because these guys are having career nights and it’s got to stop, certainly before we get to Big Ten play and before we get to Palm Springs,” Musselman said.

Palm Springs looms large; the Trojans are set to compete in the Acrisure Classic — a four-team holiday invitational. They will open with a matchup Thanksgiving Day against the Gaels of Saint Mary’s College (5-0), a West Coast Conference powerhouse. The Gaels won the WCC’s regular season and tournament titles last season. They’ve also earned a five seed in the previous three NCAA Tournaments and haven’t posted a losing record in over two decades.

The matchup will serve as a forewarning of what the Trojans may face during this winter’s cross-country conference schedule. By KenPom ratings, Saint Mary’s is USC’s only top-50 opponent in non-conference play. In contrast, the Big Ten boasts twelve teams in the top 50 of the same metric.

Williams discussed the challenges of Big Ten play in his postgame comments. He isn’t short on experience — he transferred to USC after four years at Michigan, with a starting role for two of them.

“[It’s a] physical league, it’s gonna be a lot of one-possession games, road games are probably gonna be the most intense environment you’ve ever seen,” Williams said.

Only a week remains until the Trojans clash with Saint Mary’s, and a Big Ten opener against Oregon (4-0) awaits their return from the desert. USC will have one last chance to refine its defensive identity before the schedule stiffens, with a 4 p.m. Sunday tip-off against Grambling State University (1-2) at Galen Center.