Desmond Claude injury update: Status of USC guard revealed vs. Purdue

Desmond Claude is out for USC‘s showdown against Purdue tonight, per CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. Claude also didn’t play in USC’s 77-75 loss to Northwestern on Tuesday.

Claude is averaging a team-high 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this season while shooting 49.8% from the field and 32.4% from beyond the arc. Claude reportedly played through a bone bruise in his leg in USC’s 70-64 win over Michigan State on Feb. 1.

In the win, Desmond Claude notched 19 points, six rebounds and three assists to hand the Spartans their first loss in conference play. Claude’s absence was obvious in the Trojans’ loss to Northwestern on Tuesday.

USC looked lethargic without its leader, giving up 23 offensive rebounds to Northwestern. The Trojans’ lethargy on the glass allowed Northwestern to shoot 15 more shots than them.

Now, USC will look to put the loss behind it as it squares off against Purdue at 7 p.m. ET. The game will air live on FS1.

USC’s Eric Musselman on NCAA Tournament selection process

It’s a massive game for the Trojans, who are on the bubble of reaching the NCAA Tournament. USC is 3-7 in Quad 1 games this season. Alas, USC head coach Eric Musselman isn’t convinced that his team doesn’t deserve a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Last week, Musselman tore into the selection process for the Big Dance.

“A computer doesn’t understand basketball. So how’s a computer deciding who should be in the tournament? It’s unfathomable,” Musselman said.” It doesn’t happen in any other walk of life to my knowledge, and if it does, I’d love to know what it is.

“But that doesn’t make any sense to schedule, and… College basketball is about development. How are you supposed to develop younger players if you beat teams by 30, and that has something to do with your resume at the end of the year? It doesn’t even make sense.”

Musselman didn’t stop there. The 60-year-old coach also ranted about the rules in college basketball, specifically the fact that there are still two halves instead of four quarters.

“It’s about developing. You get young players. How do they get an opportunity?” Musselman said. “It affects the way you sub. It affects the way you develop players. But no one wants to talk about it because basketball is run by people who’ve been doing it for a whole long time. We don’t have four quarters. Why? Everybody else in the world has four quarters. 

“You call a time out, you advance the ball. It’s better for basketball. But some guys don’t want to do that because that would put pressure on you. It’s really hard to coach that way. So that’s my rant on college basketball.”