A rash of injuries keeps changing the many faces at USC

With several players out, coach Musselman has had to mix and match his deep roster.

- BY RYAN KARTJE

When Eric Musselman and his staff carefully pieced together this USC team through the transfer portal last spring, the lineup announced Tuesday night ahead of the Trojans' 88-71 win over Maryland was probably not what they had in mind.

Ryan Cornish, the Dartmouth transfer starting at one guard spot, didn't scratch the rotation until December. Kam Woods, the other starting guard, wasn't even enrolled at USC until late last month. And in the middle, 7-foot-5 center Gabe Dynes had been playing a mere seven minutes a night just a few games prior.

It was a far cry from the group Musselman thought he'd have at this point in his second season at USC, with the bulk of the Big Ten schedule still ahead. But Alijah Arenas, the five-star freshman guard, was reduced to icing his knee on the sideline, his return delayed at least one more week. Chad Baker-Mazara, USC's leading scorer in December, spent most of Tuesday night stretching out his sore neck, unable to go, and Rodney Rice, the Trojans' leading scorer in November, was laid up at home recovering from shoulder surgery he’d undergone that day.

The onslaught of injuries made the last two months, in the words of USC’s coach, both “draining” and “the most challenging ever.” But aside from two blowouts in the state of Michigan and a blown fourth-quarter lead to Washington, the Trojans haven't looked all that much worse for the wear on paper, having stacked up 14 wins, and trending toward an NCAA tournament invite for the first time since 2023.

They've done so by becoming a different team, nearly night in and night out.

“We're constantly reinventing ourselves,” Musselman said. “Every game has a different identity.”