The Illinois Fighting Illini played their second consecutive home game Saturday afternoon, welcoming the struggling USC Trojans, who had lost two straight games. The Trojans came out strong, leading for large stretches of the first half, but when Illinois retook the lead at the break, many would have expected the Illini to cruise from there. This was not the case, as USC outscored Illinois by 13 in the second period en route to a 82-72 victory.
USC Has Enough Talent to Challenge Anyone in the Big 10
One game is not enough to say that the USC Trojans are going to be contenders in the loaded Big 10, but it is enough to say that on the right day, they can play anyone tough and even win. On Saturday, the Trojans checked all the boxes, winning the rebounding advantage, shooting over 50% from the field as a team, and having the best player on the floor in Rashaun Agee.
Agee was far from being USC’s leading scorer, but his relentless energy and hustle resulted in 13 points and 8 huge rebounds. Agee was the do-it-all guy for Eric Musselman, particularly in the second half. Agee had his fingerprints all over a stretch in the second half where USC stretched the lead out to 10 points and never looked back. It was a sort of homecoming for the senior, originally from Chicago, and he showed out in a big way.
Five straight points from @AgeeRashaun and a block on the other end‼️‼️‼️@DesmondClaude makes a bucket and we lead by 10 with 5:13 to go! pic.twitter.com/eVKExoIbg0
— USC Men’s Basketball (@USC_Hoops) January 11, 2025
The other two headline grabbers for USC will be Wesley Yates III, who managed 15 points on 7-8 from the floor, and Desmond Claude, who led the team with an impressive 31 points on 12-20 from the field. Although Claude missed both of his three-point attempts, he got to the basket consistently, made tough finishes, and drained all 7 of his free throw attempts. It was a special offensive performance from the junior.
All in all, USC won their first road game against a ranked opponent since 2010 after losing their last 19 outings against such teams. Coach Musselman will be hoping this is a turning point for his team’s season.
Illinois Could Not Get a Stop in the Second Half
Some will point to Illinois’ 7-32 from three-point land as the culprit for the letdown loss at home. This certainly is part of the picture, but the main thing head coach Brad Underwood will be disappointed by is his squad’s inability to get a stop.
The Illini allowed USC to shoot a blistering 52.3% from the floor, with many of those shots being made close to the basket. Illinois struggled to contain the ball and constantly allowed USC to get into the lane and get easier looks. The Trojans were content to roll with their main options, with Claude, Yates, Agee, Chibuzo Agbo, and Saint Thomas taking 60 of USC’s 65 shots. And yet Illinois found themselves unable to contain USC’s main offensive weapons.
Checking in with @DesmondClaude after his season-high 31-point performance ✌️#FightOn | @WellsFargo pic.twitter.com/UljItKMGvp
— USC Men’s Basketball (@USC_Hoops) January 11, 2025
Where USC continued to get shots closer to the basket, Illinois seemed determined to shoot their way back into the game from outside. They’ve shown the ability to survive an off shooting night before, but their defense was not able to do enough to help out the cause on this occasion.
The Importance of Kasparas Jakučionis Cannot Be Overstated
At the end of the day, many of Illinois’ struggles can be smoothed out by the return of Lithuanian phenom Kasparas Jakučionis. The freshman was out with an arm injury for Saturday’s contest, and it is clear how much the team needs his ball-handling, scoring, and ability to get players the right shots.
Illinois scored about 16 points under their season average, which is what Jakučionis usually contributes, but it’s not just Jakučionis’ three-level scoring and complete offensive package that would have helped on Saturday. Jakučionis has the ability to generate easy looks for his teammates, whether it be finding cutters with otherworldly passes or drawing the defense and kicking it out for easy looks. Illinois’ shortcomings on offense were noticeable throughout.
Illinois needs Kasparas back quickly
Conference title winners don’t lose at home to USC on their second game of the east coast trip
— Greg Waddell (@gwizzy12) January 11, 2025
Ultimately, if there are excuses for Illinois on offense, there are none for the defensive end. The Illini should not be getting outrebounded at home against a USC near the bottom of the country in total rebounding, and much of USC’s shot-making can be attributed to subpar defense. It’s back to the drawing board for Underwood, as his team faces a tough Indiana team on Tuesday. Meanwhile, USC has a two-game home stand approaching, facing Iowa before taking on Wisconsin.
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