The USC Trojans men’s basketball team lost at home to the Wisconsin Badgers 84-69 on Saturday. Home court has not been friendly to USC in Big Ten conference play, where they have a conference record of 1-3 at the Galen Center, with losses to Oregon, Michigan, and now Wisconsin.

Trojans coach Eric Musselman spoke after the game about the loss. 

In the postgame after the Trojans 84-69 loss at home, USC coach Eric Musselman had this to say as his team lost their fourth game at home and third loss at home in Big Ten conference play. 

“We have no home court advantage,” Musselman said. 

The Galen Center has not exactly been a hostile environment for visiting teams to come into in recent memory. In Saturday’s game against Wisconsin, the attendance was 6,938. The capacity at the Galen Center is 10,258, so roughly 40 percent of the arena was empty. That’s a major problem and one USC was hoping they wouldn’t face as they moved to the Big Ten conference this season. 

The school Musselman is coming from, Arkansas, repeatedly had sellouts and is one of the most rowdy fanbases in the SEC. 

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The USC Trojans saw their mini two-game winning streak come to an end the loss to the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin was in control of the game the whole way and cruised to a 15-point win. After the Trojans looked like they had turned a corner this season after wins over Illinois and Iowa, USC is now 3-4 in Big Ten conference play and 11-7 overall this season.

Against Wisconsin, the Trojans shot a healthy 49.1 percent from the field, but turnovers and missed free throws killed any chance they had of beating the Badgers. USC had 16 turnovers and shot just 11 for 17 from the free throw line. The Trojans were led by forward Saint Thomas, who had 19 points, four rebounds, and three assists.

On the flip side, Wisconsin shot 56.4 percent from the field and13 for 15 from the free throw line while turning the ball over four fewer times than USC. The Badgers were led by guard John Blackwell’s 28 points and five rebounds.

Next up for the Trojans is a road game at Nebraska on Wednesday. The Cornhuskers are 12-5 this season with a 2-4 record in Big Ten conference play. Tip off is set for 6 p.m PT on the Big Ten Network.

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LOS ANGELES — — John Blackwell scored 28 points and No. 24 Wisconsin defeated Southern California 84-69 Saturday afternoon to extend its winning streak to seven games.

Max Klesmit added 18 points and Nolan Winter 13 for the Badgers (15-3, 5-2 Big Ten), who have an average margin of victory of 16.1 points during their win streak.

Saint Thomas led the Trojans (11-7, 3-4) with 19 points and Rashaun Agee scored 15. USC, which had won its last two games, led for only 49 seconds on Saturday.

Wisconsin had a 51-32 lead with 17:54 remaining before USC went on a 13-0 run. The Trojans eventually whittled it down to three before the Badgers regained control.

Takeaways

Wisconsin: Blackwell had his third straight game with at least 20 points. The sophomore point guard has 27 assists to 14 turnovers during the Badgers’ winning streak.

USC: Desmond Claude, who was leading the Big Ten with a 22 points-per-game average in conference games, was held to nine points.

Key moment

USC got within 55-52 midway through the second half before Wisconsin countered with an 8-2 run to get breathing room. Blackwell had the basket of the run with a reverse layup to make it 59-52.

Key stat

USC committed 16 turnovers which resulted in 22 points by Wisconsin. It is the second time in three games the Badgers have forced their opponent into at least 15 turnovers.

Up next

Wisconsin remains in Los Angeles to face UCLA on Tuesday. USC is at Nebraska on Wednesday.

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MADISON – Up until Saturday the discourse in the ongoing battle between Xavier Lucas and the University of Wisconsin has been one-sided with Lucas and his attorney offering their side of the story.

That changed Saturday.

Wisconsin issued a statement on the situation involving the freshman’s departure from the school, and it offered some interesting details.

* On Dec. 2, Wisconsin and Lucas entered into a two-year NIL agreement that included “substantial” financial compensation for Lucas that UW believes remains in effect and enforceable. The statement also said there was a separate agreement with the Varsity Collective, which connects Badger athletes with NIL opportunities.

* Wisconsin said it has credible information indicating impermissible contact between Lucas and University of Miami football personnel prior to his request to enter the transfer portal. Lucas announced his intention to transfer on X on Dec. 19.

“Direct interference with another institution’s committed player and contractual interests is prohibited by NCAA tampering rules and the law,” UW wrote in the statement.

Lucas, a 6-foot-2, 198-pound cornerback from Pompano Beach, Florida, and his attorney argue that Wisconsin wrongfully declined to enter his name into the transfer portal last month. Wisconsin said it did not process Lucas’ transfer portal request because it had a signed agreement that commits Lucas to the Badgers football program.

In a story published Friday, Lucas’ attorney, Darren Heitner, told Yahoo Sports that Lucas had unenrolled at Wisconsin and enrolled in Miami. That move could circumvent the transfer portal.

“Badger student-athletes who have signed these agreements expect Wisconsin Athletics to honor the terms. In turn, Wisconsin Athletics relies on the student-athlete representations in signing these agreements that they will do the same,” Wisconsin’s statement said.

Wisconsin said it will continue to review the matter and evaluate all options to determine the appropriate course of action.

“This is another significant moment in the evolution of college athletics,” UW’s statement said. “As we move toward a future state that will rely on direct contracting with student athletes, enforcing the parties’ adherence to contract obligations and addressing improper interference by other institutions must be a priority. The system cannot work without an operational model that both establishes and enforces agreed upon rules and regulations, and contractual terms that are binding on both institutions and student athletes.”

The Big Ten Conference stands with Wisconsin

The Big Ten Conference issued a statement later Saturday that supported Wisconsin’s position on the matter.

“As student-athletes become active participants in revenue sharing, it is critical that agreed-to-obligations be respected, honored and enforced,” the statement said.

The Big Ten also said the information suggesting tampering in this case by the University of Miami was ‘very troubling” and said “the situation is the latest example of the critical need for substantive governance reform.”

“These actions undermine the efforts of its own conference as the ACC continues its collaboration with the other A4 conferences in developing a sustainable framework for college sports.”

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