USC Trojans Face Controversial Loss in Big Ten Tournament

INDIANAPOLIS — USC Trojans guard Wesley Yates III sat in disbelief at his locker after a heartbreaking loss to Purdue in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals on Thursday night. The redshirt freshman replayed the game-ending moments on his phone, struggling to comprehend how his team’s season came to an abrupt end.

“They took it away from us,” Yates said about the controversial no-call that many players felt directly impacted the game. Frustration boiled over as USC tried to mount a comeback, but ultimately fell short, completing their tournament run.

After a remarkable two-overtime win over Rutgers in the previous round, the Trojans found themselves exhausted yet again, competing in back-to-back games for the first time in the tournament. Despite leading by as many as 15 points against Purdue, they were unable to maintain their momentum in the face of mounting pressure.

As the final seconds ticked down and USC trailed by three points, Yates made a crucial play to get open. However, he was pulled down just as he received a pass from his point guard, an act he believed was a clear foul. Instead, Game 24 ended with Purdue’s Braden Smith holding the ball while USC players cried foul.

“I just don’t understand how it’s not called with the game on the line,” Yates lamented. “No one expected us to come out here and do this. I feel like we got robbed of something that we worked for.”

The mounting tension among players hit a boiling point in the locker room, where fellow Trojan Josh Cohen expressed his anger at the officiating. The whispers of blame echoed as they mulled over key moments that could have changed the game’s outcome, including a missed delineating call that several players felt led to their downfall.

Desmond Claude, who scored consistently for USC throughout the season, also voiced concerns over the officiating. Despite coming alive late in the game, he regretted an earlier missed floater opportunity. “I should make that. There’s no excuse for why I didn’t make that. I make that all the time,” he said, referring to the pivotal moment that shifted momentum to Purdue.

USC’s head coach, Eric Musselman, chose his words carefully but expressed his disappointment in the officiating as well, indicating that the outcome was not solely their fault. “We played well enough to win. That’s all I can say,” he stated, while adding the team needs to improve in moments of critical play.

As players reflected on the season as a whole, it was evident that the challenging journey under Musselman left its mark. The coach is determined to rebuild the Trojans into a competitive force, and although they faced tough losses, the players felt they left it all on the court.

“Just know we went out fighting,” Yates concluded, looking back on the rollercoaster of an emotional season. “And that’s what it’s all about at the end.”