Thursday, April 3
Las Vegas, Nev.
6:30 PM
USC
17-18,7-13Big Ten
59
vs
60
Villanova
21-14,11-9Big East
1
2
F
Villanova
27
33
60
Southern California
31
28
59
Team Stats
VU
USC
FG%
.379
.424
3FG%
.360
.208
FT%
.636
.571
RB
39
38
TO
9
9
STL
4
4
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
10
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
22
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
2
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's BasketballUSC Men's Basketball's Efforts Fall Short Against Villanova
April 03, 2025 | Men's Basketball
The Trojans lost 60-59 to the Wildcats in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown.
LAS VEGAS – USC Men's Basketball (17-18, 7-13 Big Ten) competed in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown. In this round, the Trojans took on the Villanova Wildcats. This was a tight game between two strong teams, but at the end of 40 minutes, it was Villanova who came out on top as USC lost this quarterfinal game 60-59.
HOW IT HAPPENED
It took some time for the Trojans to get into a rhythm as they didn't score for the first three minutes of the game. Once they got going, Villanova couldn't stop them as USC went on a six-point run while preventing their opponent from scoring for over three minutes. It didn't take long for Villanova to tie the game, and once that happened, these two teams went basket-for-basket, not allowing the other to pull ahead by more than five. This didn't last for long. USC battled right back into this game, tying up the game while preventing Villanova from scoring for over five minutes. That gave the Trojans all the momentum they needed to close out the first half on top as they secured the four-point lead over the Wildcats.
USC started the second half on top as well, scoring the first basket while causing Villanova to turn the ball over on their first possession. Saint Thomas continued with one of his best games of the season, stealing the ball and driving to the basket to earn his team the largest lead of the game. This is when the Wildcats started battling back. Villanova went on a seven-point run, which got them within five of USC with 12 minutes left to play. The Wildcats kept pushing forward. With nine minutes to play, the game was all tied up again as USC needed to find an answer to their scoring drought. With help from Rashaun Agee, the Trojans got out of their funk, heading into the final seven minutes with the score tied at 45. This game was decided by the very final shot. For the Trojans, that final attempt did not make it in, resulting in the Trojans losing to the Wildcats 60-59.
NOTABLES
HOW IT HAPPENED
It took some time for the Trojans to get into a rhythm as they didn't score for the first three minutes of the game. Once they got going, Villanova couldn't stop them as USC went on a six-point run while preventing their opponent from scoring for over three minutes. It didn't take long for Villanova to tie the game, and once that happened, these two teams went basket-for-basket, not allowing the other to pull ahead by more than five. This didn't last for long. USC battled right back into this game, tying up the game while preventing Villanova from scoring for over five minutes. That gave the Trojans all the momentum they needed to close out the first half on top as they secured the four-point lead over the Wildcats.
USC started the second half on top as well, scoring the first basket while causing Villanova to turn the ball over on their first possession. Saint Thomas continued with one of his best games of the season, stealing the ball and driving to the basket to earn his team the largest lead of the game. This is when the Wildcats started battling back. Villanova went on a seven-point run, which got them within five of USC with 12 minutes left to play. The Wildcats kept pushing forward. With nine minutes to play, the game was all tied up again as USC needed to find an answer to their scoring drought. With help from Rashaun Agee, the Trojans got out of their funk, heading into the final seven minutes with the score tied at 45. This game was decided by the very final shot. For the Trojans, that final attempt did not make it in, resulting in the Trojans losing to the Wildcats 60-59.
NOTABLES
- Saint Thomas recorded his first double-double of the season, scoring 23 points and grabbing 13 rebounds.
- Thomas led USC in scoring (23), rebounds (13) and assists (3), marking the first time this season a player has led in all three categories during the same game.
- USC outscored Villanova in the paint 18-10 during the first half and 32-18 throughout the entire game.
- Saint Thomas led the Trojans in scoring from start to finish, putting up a USC-leading 10 points at the half and 23 total.
- Rashaun Agee had two massive first-half dunks for the Trojans. Freshman Jalen Shelley also slammed one down for Troy.
- Agee turned in another double-digit performance on Thursday, recording 22 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
- Three Trojans scored in double digits against Villanova - Saint Thomas (23) , Rashaun Agee (22) and Desmond Claude (10).
- USC officially ends the season having played 35 games, the most by a Trojan squad since the 2017-18 season (36 games played).
USC MBB: USC HC Eric Musselman, Gabe Dynes, Jordan Marsh and Terrance Williams II | Sept. 3, 2025
Wednesday, September 03
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Tuesday, June 24
Men's Basketball Open Media Availability
Thursday, June 12
Men's Basketball: Villanova 60, USC 59 - Highlights (4/3/25)
Thursday, April 03
