With 12 seconds left in USC’s Big Ten Tournament second-round matchup against No. 20 Purdue on Thursday, junior guard Desmond Claude pushed the ball up the court, looking to erase a 3-point deficit for the Trojans and send the game to overtime. Claude attempted a quick pass to redshirt freshman guard Wesley Yates III, but Yates slipped on the court and missed the catch, ending USC’s chance to tie the game and keep their slim postseason chances alive.

Purdue junior guard Braden Smith rolled out of the chaos with possession of the ball, ensuring a Boilermakers (22-11, 13-7 Big Ten) victory and setting themselves up with a quarterfinal showdown with No. 22 Michigan (24-9, 14-6). In turn, the door was shut on any hopes of a Cinderella run for the Trojans.

The loss doomed USC (16-17, 7-13) to its second straight losing season in a row, after last year’s dismal 15-18 campaign in former head coach Andy Enfield’s final season.

“I feel for the locker room. This group came here to try to win this tournament, and I thought we put ourselves in position tonight to play one more day tomorrow,” said Head Coach Eric Musselman in a press conference after the loss. 

USC spent nearly half of the game with the lead, running ahead or tied with the Boilermakers in almost 28 of 40 minutes. But the Trojans could never fully put away Purdue, who battled back at every turn, buoyed by a 30-point performance from junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn. 

Foul troubles afflicted the Trojans; four of the team’s five starters recorded at least four personal fouls. Graduate forward Rashaun Agee fouled out in the final minutes of the game, while Claude’s foul concerns limited him to only playing 21 minutes in the matchup, tying a season low. Musselman and several Trojans expressed frustration with the officiating after the game. 

“I didn’t know that [Claude] was so physical, but he was tonight, I guess. The game’s on tape, so anybody can watch it. It doesn’t do me any good to sit up here and get fined,” Musselman said. “The game is reviewable for anybody that wants to.”

The loss came after the Trojans fought off Rutgers (15-17, 8-12) for a 97-89, double overtime victory in the first round of the tournament. Claude, Agee and Yates each scored more than 20 points, with Claude leading the pack with 28.

Rutgers star freshman guard Dylan Harper scored 27 points in 46 minutes but shot a poor 9-21 from the field. After Harper missed a game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds of regulation, the game went to its first overtime period.

USC couldn’t separate itself from Rutgers until the second overtime, where an 11-6 run at the end of the game proved decisive in handing the Trojans the victory. Still, the seasons of both teams are now likely over, as each school’s March Madness prospects are virtually nonexistent.

Musselman cited the brutal turnaround from the double overtime battle as a key factor in the Trojans’ defeat to Purdue. While there was a period in the first half when it seemed as if USC’s tournament run was set to continue, several Trojans were clearly somewhat out of gas by the game’s latter stages.

“People need to recognize we played a double overtime game last night, that we’re three hours difference from home on our body clocks, that we got back to our hotel and the first time we got to utter the words Purdue were about 1 a.m.,” Musselman said.

The Trojans’ 16-17 final record marks Musselman’s second-ever losing season in the college ranks, mirroring the same record in his final season at Arkansas last year. 

Still, next season looks promising.

The Trojans’ 2025 freshman class is ranked No. 8 on 247Sports, headlined by guard Alijah Arenas, son of former NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. Alijah Arenas — ranked as the No. 7 prospect — committed to the Trojans with a call to Musselman on Gilbert Arenas’ podcast on Jan. 30.

In addition, two four-star players are in next year’s incoming class: Jerry Easter and Elzie Harrington.

Musselman and the Trojans’ future looks bright, but for now, fans will have another March Madness without them.