From the first whistle at tipoff to the final buzzer, chants of “ILL-INI” rang throughout Galen Center, reaching their loudest when the Fighting Illini surpassed the 100-point mark in the final minute of the second half.

The 101-65 loss is the worst since Head Coach Eric Musselman joined the Trojans in April of 2024. USC (18-8, 7-8 Big Ten) is quickly losing its potential spot in the NCAA Tournament, while No. 10 Illinois (22-5, 13-3) continues to dominate opposing teams.

The ugly loss Wednesday night  — USC’s second straight after its defeat against Ohio State (17-9, 9-6) — sums up a rough last couple of months for the Trojans.

The team’s struggles started early when Illinois went on a 15-3 run to open the game. At halftime, the Trojans were down 22 points and seemingly walked into the locker room with their tails between their legs.

“If you don’t have your A-game, you’re not gonna be able to compete with [Illinois],” Musselman said in a postgame news conference. “Obviously, we didn’t even have a C-game tonight.”

The game had a similar feel to the loss to Purdue last month, as Galen Center was dominated once again by opposing fans. This time, instead of losing by 5 points, the Trojans lost by 36.

“You can’t play like that offensively and defensively and give yourself a chance against a top ten team in the country,” Musselman said. “Every player, person and coach in the program [has] got to look in the mirror and ask how we can get better.”

Offensive and defensive struggles reach new levels

The Illini were firing on all cylinders throughout the game, following a 54-point first half with a 47-point second half. Thirteen 3-pointers, split seven and six across each half, respectively, complemented the high-scoring vanquishing.

Seven Illini scored double-digit points, while the team as a whole shot around 52% from the field, 45% from three-point range and 92% from the free-throw line.

Illinois’ leading scorer was junior guard Andrej Stojakovic, who put up 22 points in just 17 minutes. Junior forward Jake Davis also contributed heavily to the scoring rout, going perfect from 3-point land with four treys.

On the other side of the court, the Trojans scored just 32 and 33 points in each half, respectively. The scoring was led by senior forward Ezra Ausar, who put up 15 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.

Sophomore forward Jacob Cofie was the only other Trojan in double digits with 14 points on just 5-for-12 shooting from the field. 

Cofie’s shooting performance coincided with the team’s: USC approximately shot an abysmal 37% from the field and 60% from the line, both close to season worsts. These marks brought down the team’s season averages to around 47% on field goals and 72% from the charity stripe, putting the Trojans 10th from the field and 17th from the line in the Big Ten.

“We were not good enough tonight,” Musselman said. “We’ve got to figure out how to play better basketball at home.”

Injuries, injuries and more injuries

If there is one word Musselman could use to sum up the season, it would likely be “injury.” Junior guard Rodney Rice and senior forward Amarion Dickerson remain out for the season after suffering season-ending injuries, forcing USC to add graduate guard Kam Woods in the middle of the season.

The most recent injury of graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara has put a damper on the Trojans’ offensive and defensive plans. After injuring his knee in the win over Indiana (17-9, 8-7) on Feb. 3, Baker-Mazara has yet to see game action. In the three matches he has missed since, USC has lost twice. According to Musselman, Baker-Mazara still remains day-to-day.

“The injury thing with us has not gone our way at all,” Musselman said. “It’s no excuse; it’s reality.”

Although freshman guard Alijah Arenas played in Wednesday’s game, he was limited to just 18 minutes following health issues. After an illness forced Arenas to miss Tuesday’s practice, he was deemed a game-time decision against the Illini before ultimately suiting up.

Despite playing and shooting 2-for-7 from the field, Arenas appeared to slightly injure his right leg midway through the second half. Before Musselman took him out for the night, Arenas returned for a few possessions, even scoring one of his two baskets.

Following the Dec. 2 win to start league play against Oregon (9-17, 2-13), the Trojans will look to sweep the season series against their former Pac-12 rivals. USC will take on the Ducks at Galen Center on Saturday at 1 p.m. in hopes of salvaging a spot in the NCAA Tournament.