Indiana's back at home on Wednesday for an evening battle with a west coast foe, as USC visits Assembly Hall for a 7:00 p.m. ET tip.
The Hoosiers (12-3 overall, 3-1 in Big Ten play) are coming into the contest after a marquee road win at the Palestra over Penn State. The Trojans (9-5 overall, 1-2 in Big Ten play), are fresh off of a 9-point loss at home to Dusty May's Michigan squad.
Ahead of Wednesday night's tip-off, preview the matchup between Indiana and USC.
HEAD COACH PROFILE
Head Coach: Eric Musselman
Record: 230-98 in 10th year overall, 9-5 in 1st year at USC.
Eric Musselman was announced has the next head coach at USC on April 4, 2024. Joining the Trojans after five seasons at Arkansas, Musselman has plenty of head coaching experience at both the collegiate and professional levels.
Before joining the college ranks, Musselman spent time in the NBA, spending two seasons with the Golden State Warriors (2002-04) and one with the Sacramento Kings (2006-07).
He then went on to coaching in Canada and multiple professional leagues overseas. Musselman then spent three seasons as an assistant coach at Arizona State and LSU.
Prior to working at Arkansas, Musselman spent nine seasons as the head coach at Nevada.
With the Razorbacks, Musselman compiled a 111-59 record, the 13th-best mark among all Power 6 teams during his time at Arkansas. All told, Musselman has the 10th-best winning percentage amongst all Division I coaches with at least nine years of experience.
THIS SEASON
The Trojans began the season by winning five of their first six games of the year, with that one loss coming at home to Cal. However, after a 5-1 start, USC lost three games in a row, including two games at The Acrisure Classic in Palm Desert, California and one at home against Oregon.
Since then, the Trojans claimed victory in four consecutive games, including a 24-point road win at Washington, prior to their most recent loss on Saturday against Michigan.
On the season, USC is averaging 76.2 points per game. The Trojans are shooting 47.4% from the field as a team and 34.2% from 3-point range, on 18.4 attempts per game.
USC gets the the free throw line a lot as a team, shooting 22.6 shots from the charity stripe a contest, while shooting 75.4% there. The Trojans average just 11.6 turnovers a game, while forcing 13.9.
Opponents this season are averaging 69.6 points per game, while shooting 43.3% from the field and 32.2% from beyond the arc against USC this year.
Ahead of Wednesday night's clash with the Hoosiers, the Trojans sit 77th in Kenpom, boasting the 101st-ranked offense and the 82nd-ranked defense. In the NET rankings, USC ranks 94th.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Guard Desmond Claude: After coming over from Xavier this offseason, Claude is averaging a team-best 14.9 points per game. He's also averaging 3.9 assists and 3.9 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.5% from the field and 33.3% from 3-point range on just 1.5 attempts a night. The biggest hole in Claude's game a season ago was his inability to take care of the ball. An oversized guard standing at 6-foot-6, Claude has taken better care of the basketball this season, averaging 2.6 turnovers a game. Claude is third in the Big Ten in free throw rate, drawing 6.8 fouls per game, as he gets to the charity stripe with the best of them--where he shoots 76.1%.
- Guard Chibuzo Agbo: Agbo is the Trojan's second-leading scorer on the season. He averages 12.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game, while shooting 39.8% from the field and a team-best 39.1% from 3-point range--on 6.2 attempts from deep a night. Agbo ranks fifth in the Big Ten this season in total 3-pointers made. He's also great at the free throw, ranking fifth in the conference shooting it at an 87.8% clip from the charity stripe. When the 6-foot-7 guard makes at least one 3-pointer, USC is 9-3. When he doesn't make at least one triple, the Trojans are 0-2.
- Guard Wesley Yates: On the season, Yates is averaging just 9.1 points per game. That's sixth on the team. Yates is shooting it at a 43.2% clip from the floor and a 33.3% clip from downtown, however he's been on of the Trojans' best players as of late. Since Yates was inserted into the starting lineup, he's started the last five games, the 6-foot-4 guard is averaging 12.6 points per game.
STORYLINES TO WATCH
Can Oumar Ballo continue his dominance...
In Big Ten play, Oumar Ballo is averaging 17.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. Against Rutgers, Ballo went for 17 points and 12 rebounds. Against Penn State, he went for 25 points and 13 rebounds. As Ballo continues his recent stretch of dominant play, he'll be met with another solid opportunity to dominate against USC. Ballo, as he has all season long, will have the size advantage against Trojan big man Josh Cohen, who stands at 6-foot-10 and 250 pounds. USC doesn't start anyone else taller than 6-foot-7. Ballo has been the main catalyst on the offensive end for the Hoosiers in these consecutive conference wins. With Malik Reneau likely still sidelined, Indiana could use another big time performance from Ballo against USC.
Is the hot shooting here to stay...
Over their last two games, the Hoosiers are 12-of-27 (44.4%) and 9-of-23 (39%) from beyond the arc. Combined, that's 21-for-50 (42%) from deep over the last two wins for Indiana. If the Hoosiers can continue to knock down shots from downtown, even if the percentage drops a tad bit from this sweltering stretch of recent play, Indiana will be a tough team to beat. With Luke Goode and Mackenzie Mgbako playing like the 3-point marksman the Hoosiers are expecting them to be, as well as Myles Rice and Trey Galloway's contributions from deep, an Indiana team that can shoot it well from 3-point range is a scary sight for many teams around the Big Ten.
QUICK HITTERS
Who: Indiana (12-3, 3-1) vs. USC (9-5, 1-2)
Series History: All-time series tied at 2-2 (Last Meeting: Indiana won 85-60 on March 18, 1974 in St. Louis, Missouri)
When: Jan. 8, 2025, 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, Indiana
TV: Big Ten Network: Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Robbie Hummel (analyst)
Radio: IU Radio Network: Don Fischer (Play-by-Play), Errek Suhr (Analyst), John Herrick
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