It’s creeping into crunch time. With March rapidly approaching, men’s basketball Head Coach Eric Musselman has a lot to prove in the latter half of the regular season if the Trojans want to make their way to the Big Dance.

USC (12-7, 4-4 Big Ten) currently has a few standout performers thanks to Musselman’s penchant for the portal. So, all aboard the Muss Buss — let’s take roll.

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Eric Musselman — A-

Clearing out an existing roster for all new transfers — a tactic he was known for during his time with Arkansas — Musselman dropped into USC Athletics with quite a bang. After a surprisingly lackluster season for men’s basketball last year, any hopes for a bounceback fall on Musselman and the new faces he has brought in.

And he has succeeded, kind of. Record-wise, the Trojans are having a mediocre season, playing .500 ball in the Big Ten and 8-3 in nonconference play. But, with a team that has only just begun playing together this year in a brand new conference, chemistry — and with it wins — will come. For Trojan fans, the only hope is that it comes in time for the Trojans to make some noise in March.

Musselman is known for being a culture builder in locker rooms, and his greatest success so far this season is doing the same at USC.

“One of the things that we came over [to USC] for is trust in Muss…The main thing is [Musselman] letting us rock, being able to hoop, and him trusting us,” said junior guard Desmond Claude in a press conference after a win against Iowa (13-7,4-5) on Jan. 14. “That’s one of the things that we were looking for.”

The Trojans are hoping they can ride that culture all the way back to the NCAA Tournament after missing out last season for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign.

Desmond Claude — B+

If there’s a leader on the roster so far, it’s been Claude. Right now, the junior leads the team in points and assists, the driving force for Musselman’s offense. After a dip in form against Wisconsin (16-4, 6-3), Claude returned in a big way, playing all 40 minutes and clocking 21 points in the Trojans’ last Big Ten win against Nebraska (12-8, 2-7).

Last season, Claude played for Xavier University, racking up 16.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, scoring more than 20 points in 12 games. On this same track for the Trojans, Claude will be crucial for the Trojans to sneak into the NCAA Tournament in Musselman’s inaugural season.

Saint Thomas — B

Senior forward Thomas is on a hot streak, scoring double digit figures in the Trojans’ last three Big Ten games. In fact, Thomas has been a centerpiece for Musselman’s new Big Ten offense.

Thomas has also impressed on defense, leading the Trojans in both rebounds and steals. His best performance of the year on the defensive end came against his fellow Omaha native, No. 18 Wisconsin’s senior guard John Tonje. Thomas held Tonje, who leads the Badgers with 17.5 points per game, to zero points in the Trojans’ loss against the team.

While Thomas is on the up in both offensive and defensive production, a slightly slow start to the season in November and December leads to the less-than-perfect rating. However, if the last few games are any indication, Thomas will remain important in both the Trojans’ Big Ten battles and in March.

Wesley Yates III — B+

After injury halted his true freshman season with the Washington Huskies, redshirt freshman guard Yates has performed well in Musselman’s offense. Currently, Yates is tied with Thomas in points-per-game at 11.0, also swiping 25 steals for the season.

What Yates is doing is impressive, especially as a freshman with years of development awaiting him unless he declares early for the draft. However, he has not shot the ball consistently, which is evident in performances such as an 0-7 effort against Saint Mary’s (18-3, 8-0 West Coast).

Therefore, Yates has not earned a perfect rating so far this season, but he still has the second half of the year to prove himself as a key player for Musselman and the Trojans.

Josh Cohen — C+

When asked about how he planned to utilize graduate forward Cohen in November, Musselman said in a Los Angeles Times interview, “I don’t even know.”

So perhaps we should have seen this coming. It’s been a strange year for the transfer from UMass: Cohen has started in every single game for USC, but often, he is the first player subbed off the court, usually for the more energetic sophomore guard Kevin Patton Jr. or game-changing graduate forward Rashaun Agee.

Cohen averages 7.7 points per game and just 2.5 rebounds, not exactly the type of stats you want to see from your 6’10” forward, who basically acts as a center in Musselman’s system.

The stats are a little misleading, as Cohen really does not play that much for a regular starter; he averages just 14.8 minutes per game. However, even in games where he gets 15 or more minutes, his drop in production is evident against more talented teams, like his sub-five-point performances against No. 21 Michigan (14-5, 6-2) and Indiana (14-7, 5-5).

It’s harsh to say that Cohen doesn’t add anything to the team; his early-season performances and Musselman’s decision to continue starting him disprove that. It’s simply that his role in Musselman’s offense is not fully fleshed out, something that the team may want to think about going forward in the season.

Chibuzo Agbo — A-

Graduate guard Chibuzo Agbo stands as Musselman’s trusty three-point shooter, notorious in his time at Boise State, where he led his team from beyond the arc with 76 3-pointers last season. Midway through the season, Agbo is on pace to match and even break his mark from last year, already clocking 41 three-point baskets on the year.

Currently, Agbo is shooting with impressive accuracy, 37% from three and 86.5% from the free throw line. He’s also been a good rebounder, second on the team with 94 so far.

Foul trouble has been Agbo’s main drawback on the court, leading the team with 55 fouls on the season, 10 more than any other player. However, his productivity on offense has been impressive, and his continued production will be crucial in the second half of the season for a Trojan offense lacking in reliable three-point shooters.

Overall Team GPA: 3.2

The Trojans take on another Big Ten opponent in their crosstown rival UCLA (14-6, 5-4) at Galen Center at 7 p.m. Monday. The game’s result will mean a lot, not only for USC’s Big Ten hopes but to potentially ignite belief in Musselman’s style and program. For the team, the latter half of the season will mean everything if USC wants to keep dancing in March.