It’s not very fun in Trojan basketball land right now. USC women’s and men’s basketball have each lost two games in a row. Women’s basketball was blown out by UCLA then blew a 17-point lead to Oregon. Men’s basketball was blown out by 30 points by Michigan and 29 points by Michigan State.
Both ranked teams with aspirations of deep March Madness runs are stumbling early in conference play, and it’s hurting morale. Trojan fans could really use a win.
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Will men’s basketball’s game against Minnesota help USC turn the page? It will depend on these storylines.
With that in mind, here are five things to watch as the Trojans take on the Golden Gophers on Friday in their third and final game of their first true road trip of the season:
The two teams’ momentum is starkly opposite
As I mentioned, USC comes into this matchup on a rough two-game losing streak.
Minnesota, on the other hand, is thriving. The Gophers have won 6 of their past 7 games, including 2 games against ranked opponents and a third win against a conference opponent.
The Gophers’ most recent game was their best win of the season, an upset win over No. 19 Iowa. It’s safe to say they are not struggling in the morale department.
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Minnesota’s home court advantage
Minnesota’s 10-5 record isn’t fantastic. The Golden Gophers lost some games in non conference play that the Trojans would have likely won.
But they are a different team at home. Minnesota is a perfect 9-0 at Williams Arena this season. Both of their ranked wins have come at home.
USC, on the other hand, is 2-2 on the road and 1-2 in conference road games.
Will Chad Baker-Mazara be back in the starting lineup — and run up the scoring column?
I was really puzzled about how Chad Baker-Mazara was utilized by Eric Musselman in USC’s most recent loss to Michigan State. He was held out of the starting lineup, played only 18 minutes and took only 6 shots, scoring 4 points.
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If he was feeling under the weather or something was going on behind the scenes, I hope everything is okay.
Regardless of what happened, what I hope most of all is that Baker-Mazara is back in the starting lineup and ready to drop 20+ points like he has done on a regular basis this season. We’ll see against Minnesota.
Should USC turn to Jerry Easter II amidst offensive struggles?
I don’t necessarily mean turn to Jerry Easter II in terms of making him the primary scorer. I just mean put some more trust in him.
Easter’s 3 best games of the season all came against tough opponents: Oregon, Washington and Michigan State. When given a lot of minutes, Easter seems to rise to the occasion.
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One really important fact about Easter II that should inspire trust in him is that he doesn’t turn the ball over. Since USC’s season opener against Cal Poly, Easter II hasn’t turned the ball over more than 3 times in a game.
I’d like to see Eric Musselman put the ball in Easter II’s hands more and let USC’s offense run through the young guard more often. Maybe not as a primary scorer, but definitely as a facilitator.
What is USC’s answer for Cade Tyson?
The Golden Gophers have a clear star. Cade Tyson is averaging 21.7 points per game for Minnesota this season. He’s clearly scoring at all three levels, shooting 52.2% from the field and an excellent 39.7% from three-point range.
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It would be ideal for someone at the guard position to step up and lock down Tyson. Minnesota has other players that can score, but defending the Gophers’ go-to player is the easiest way to put them out of system.
Generally, it feels like the Trojans don’t have an established defensive star this season. This could be the time for someone to step up.
Stepping up is the name of the game for a Trojan team that has been beaten down in the last two games. Let’s all hope USC can get its first win of 2026.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC men’s basketball faces Minnesota at Williams Arena on Friday
