USC makes a resounding statement in upset over No. 7 Michigan State

Desmond Claude came crashing to the hardwood, his right knee caught awkwardly in the collision and the whole of Galen Center holding its breath. For USC, with its tournament hopes hanging on for dear life, there were few more troubling sights than this one: The team’s leading scorer and floor general crumpled in a heap on the baseline, clutching his knee.

The days leading up to that moment had already tested the limits of the Trojans’ mettle. A narrow loss on Monday to UCLA left lingering concerns in their coach’s mind about effort. So Eric Musselman handed each of his players 10-pound weights to keep in each hand Wednesday and proceeded to run them ragged, pushing them to the physical brink.

“We just wanted to send a message,” Musselman said. “How are you going to respond?”

The answer, from USC, would be a resounding one on Saturday: A 70-64 victory over No. 7 Michigan State in which it never trailed, by far its gutsiest win to date of the nascent Musselman era.

Not only that but the victory gave USC its second win of the season against a top-20 team and its second Big Ten win at home, where it has otherwise struggled since the start of conference play.

No player provided a more fitting image of that fight than Claude, who reemerged from the locker room just a few minutes after he limped off, unable to put weight on his right ankle. He spent a few spare seconds on the stationary bike before Musselman barked at him to get back on the floor.

“The team doctor was like, ‘Let’s give him another minute,’” Musselman recalled.

“Well, I don’t have another minute. Let’s go.”

Claude missed just five minutes of game time, and he spent the rest of the game fighting through a light limp. But it wouldn’t hold him back from flying through the lane, fearlessly attacking the hoop, like he has most of this season. He still finished with 19 points, along with six rebounds and three assists.

Michigan State guard Jeremy Fears Jr., center, steals the ball from USC guard Desmond Claude, right, as forward Josh Cohen watches during the first half.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

“I wasn’t going to sit out this game,” Claude said. “It was a big game we needed. I had to step up. Even Coach told me, ‘We don’t got time for you to be out here feeling sorry for yourself. If you’re hurt, get out, but if you can play, then play.”

USC looked like a team that could play with anyone on Saturday. Wesley Yates hit timely three-pointers on his way to 15 points, a mark he’s reached in seven of his last eight games. Saint Thomas filled up the stat sheet with eight points and eight rebounds, despite being banged-up himself. Even Josh Cohen, who was replaced in the starting lineup Saturday for the first time, had arguably his best game of the season with seven points and three offensive rebounds.

Musselman threw his own unlikely wrinkle into the equation, using an unorthodox defensive scheme that he calls “paintball”, which he had used only once before. That defense gave Michigan State trouble early on especially, allowing USC to build a critical lead.

“It’s a huge gamble to play it the way we did,” Musselman said.

But it worked swimmingly on Saturday, as USC held Michigan State to its second-lowest output of the season.

“If you’re playing the seventh-ranked team, an undefeated team and a team that’s 18-2 and hadn’t lost since late November, you have to exceed the energy of the opponent,” Musselman said. “I thought that they bought into that.”

That energy was evident early, another byproduct of the message Musselman sent earlier in the week. In the wake of the UCLA loss, forward Rashaun Agee had suggested that USC had been “a little too relaxed” at the start of its home games. Meanwhile, on the road, USC was 3-1 in its new conference, with a marquee win over a top-20 team already on its resume.

There were no such concerns on Saturday. Though, a crowd loaded with roaring Spartan fans screaming “Go green! Go white!” made Galen Center feel more like hostile territory.

Within seven minutes, USC had soared to a 15-point lead, while Michigan State struggled to find any semblance of rhythm. Michigan State eventually climbed back, cutting that lead to a one possession on several occasions.

But USC refused to bend.

Michigan State mounted one last push late, with a chance to cut the lead again to a bucket. But USC’s defense rose to the occasion, forcing a shot-clock violation with just 39 seconds remaining.

Thomas’ play sealed it from there. Spotting Yates speeding down the court, Thomas threw a one-handed pass behind the Michigan State defense. Yates caught it in stride, needing just two steps to slam home a one-handed dunk, putting the final touch on a resounding statement for USC.