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Eric Musselman calls out Big Ten for USC East Coast road schedule following Rutgers loss

Wade-Peeryby:Wade Peery•02/23/25
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© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Conference realignment has simply not made sense over the years for a number of reasons, with the travel logistics being one of the biggest headaches. And USC head coach Eric Musselman is experiencing that the hard way this season. The Trojans were handled 95-85 on Sunday by a Rutgers team featuring two potential top five draft picks in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft. Following the loss, Musselman sounded on the exhausting amount of travel and the effects it has had on his team.

Eric Musselman sounds off on Big Ten travel

What kind of things does he need to see from his squad to position them for the Big Ten Tournament?

“I think there’s a whole bunch of things that factor. Number 1, UCLA, Washington, Oregon, USC. We’re in the hole two to four games based on travel. And it’s gonna be like that forever for men’s basketball. So, you either gotta do it, UCLA women and USC women. And you’ve got to have far superior talent in order to survive all of this. This is the same trip that Coach Cronin had his…” Musselman explained.

“And unless you’re doing it or have done it in the past, which no one has done it. Unless you’ve been in the NBA. And when you travel three time zones and you’re out here for six days. We’re gonna get back. Right now, we’re supposed to stop in Kansas City or Tulsa. We’re gonna get back roughly at 3 AM. And then we’re gonna bus. And then they’re gonna go to class at 8 AM. You’re not gonna be in your bed even to try to attempt to sleep until 4 AM. And then you’re gonna go to class in four hours. Which means, you’ve gotta get up, you’ve got to shower. You’ve got to get to class. So, you know, should a West Coast team be playing a game at 6 o’clock at night?” Musselman vented.

“And oh by the way, Ohio State’s in Los Angeles and has been there for two days. And they played several hours before us. But yet, we’re the team that has to travel cross-country. And then our body clocks have to readjust. So, is that why we lost tonight? No, I’m more worried about the travel affecting our game at Ohio State than I am this game. Because, when the schedule came out, the game that I thought we would be most affected by is Ohio State,” Musselman finished.

Rutgers got 39 combined points from their two superstars, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, in their 95-85 win over USC on Sunday. The Trojans got 30 points from Desmond Claude and 23 points from Wesley Yates III. Yates drilled three of his five shots from beyond-the-arc.

USC currently sits at 14-13 overall and 6-10 in the Big Ten Conference. If the season ended today, the Trojans would be in the Big Ten Tournament, but they’re currently just one game above Northwestern for the final spot in the field. Next up, they’ll face Ohio State in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Feb. 26th. That one is slated for 7:30 PM EST.