CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Desmond Claude poured in 31 points as the USC men’s basketball team shocked No. 13 Illinois with an 82-72 Big Ten victory on Saturday.
The victory, which improved the Trojans to 10-6 overall and 2-3 in the conference, is by far the most significant in Eric Musselman’s first season. USC had previously played only one ranked opponent this season, which was a 68-60 loss to then-No. 12 Oregon on Dec. 4 at the Galen Center.
Claude’s season-high output came on 12-of-20 shooting and 7-of-7 accuracy from the free-throw line. His career high is 36 points, which came while playing for Xavier against Georgetown in March.
The 6-foot-6 junior guard, who is averaging 14.9 points per game, has scored in double digits in nine consecutive contests, averaging 19.2 points in that span.
USC, which trailed by three at halftime but never by more than five the entire game, outscored the Fighting Illini 47-34 in the second half, buoyed by a 25-15 advantage in the final 8 minutes, 42 seconds.
“It was the toughness and the effort,” USC coach Eric Musselman said. “These guys got rewarded because they are playing so hard every night. Today is a reward for all the things that they have done when we have come up short.”
The win over Illinois (12-4, 4-2), which had been 51-7 in the on-campus State Farm Center since 2021, snapped a two-game skid. The Trojans had won four in a row before losses last week at Indiana and at home against Michigan.
The Trojans shot 52.3% (34 of 65) while holding Illinois to 37.1% (23 of 62) from the floor and 21.9% (7 of 32) from 3-point range.
The battle might have been won inside. Illinois came into the game leading the country in rebounds per game (45.9), rebound margin (+13.3) and defensive rebounds per game (32.5). USC was able to outwork the Fighting Illini 37-34 on the glass and limit them to just 24 defensive rebounds.
USC also played the game at its pace, while limiting transition opportunities for the Illini.
“We wanted to control the tempo, so that means no 3s in transition and no mid-range pull-ups in transition,” Musselman said. “We wanted to run with Illinois, but run for layups and dunks. If there were no layups or dunks, pull the ball out. And that’s what we did.”
USC guard Wesley Yates III scored 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting and snagged six boards. Forward Rashaun Agee, a Chicago native, added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench in the win.
“We are moving in the right direction,” Musselman said. “Sometimes you lose games, and you get frustrated. But this team really plays hard. We play as hard as we can, and that’s all you can ask as a team to do is to play with great, effort energy and enthusiasm. And we do that, even in the games we lose.”
Illinois held a moment of silence before the game to honor those affected by the devastating fires this week in Los Angeles County.
The Trojans return home for a Tuesday matchup with Iowa at 7:30 p.m. at the Galen Center.
