A win is a win, but it didn’t feel that way for Eric Musselman after the USC Trojans’ grueling 107-106 triple-overtime escape against the Troy Trojans. Rather than focusing on Jordan Marsh’s clutch game-winner, Eric sounded the alarm on the Trojans’ defensive issues.

Coach Musselman, delivering his remarks after the game on The Sporting Tribune’s YouTube channel, was quite frank. He spoke out about his issues regarding his team’s locker room and exposed profound doubts about their basic abilities.

“We have to defend rebounds way better. I mean, the lack of rebounding is a concern, a huge concern,” Eric Musselman stated bluntly, because even though the victory provided momentary relief, it could jeopardize USC’s NCAA Tournament push. The numbers also confirmed his disappointment.

Even though things started rocky, the rebounding issue continued for the duration of the game. USC was thoroughly outmatched in rebounding, losing the battle 63-39. They allowed 25 offensive rebounds while managing only seven themselves.

Facing a Troy squad that had just played its second overtime game in three days (This was Troy’s 3-OT game just two nights after its 2-OT against San Diego State), the USC Trojans surrendered 23 offensive rebounds during regulation and the extra period. This was a glaring misstep, especially considering the fatigue of their adversaries.

Aside from the rebounding woes, Eric Musselman admitted that some of the strategic changes made in the second half didn’t pan out as planned. “I probably sat Ezra too much in the second half. I thought when he came back in, I mean, he changed the game with playing with force,” Musselman explained. Ezra Ausar’s 22 points, while impressive, couldn’t mask the team’s rebounding struggles when he wasn’t on the court, a clear strategic flaw.

Luckily, Jordan Marsh stepped up when it mattered most. Marsh’s three-pointer, the one that sealed the deal, was the cherry on top of a game where he kept coming through with the kind of plays that can carry a team a long way in the tournament. Marsh, looking back, acknowledged, “When I was shooting the ball, I thought, dang, it’s over. I thought he was going to tip it, or I was going to hit the backboard.”

His wish was granted, and USC’s record now stands at 4-0. The Trojans demonstrated their ability to survive the storm when it counted.

Troy’s fight steals the spotlight as USC Trojans survive a wild triple-OT finish

The game stayed tight from start to finish, with neither team able to pull away. They went into halftime tied at 29, and the intensity only grew from there. The second half followed the same pattern, with both sides trading baskets until the buzzer sounded at 68-68. With nothing settled after regulation, the matchup headed into its first overtime.

The drama carried into overtime, where neither side could break away. Troy forced a 78-78 tie in the final seconds of OT1 on a clutch layup by Theo Seng. OT2 played out the same way, with Thomas Dowd converting a contested shot in the lane to even the score at 89-89 with 22 seconds left. Again, the teams headed to another extra period, but it was Troy who was winning hearts with each point in the deciding minutes.

Continuing with the flow, Troy initially seized momentum, building a six-point cushion and looking poised to close it out. But USC clawed back at the right time. The USC Trojans’ resilience paid off in the final moments, when Jordan Marsh buried a buzzer-beating three to seal a thrilling 107-106 win and complete the comeback.

Now, with a 4-0 record, USC is off to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational, where they’ll meet Boise State on Monday. The victory is sweet, no doubt, but the Trojans are acutely aware of their woes. If these weaknesses aren’t fixed, teams in the Big Ten will take advantage of them, and the smooth record might not last long.