On Sunday evening, the USC men’s basketball team defeated former Pac-12 foe Washington State 68-61 at Galen Center. With the victory, the Trojans improved to 10-1 on the 2025-2026 season.
What did we learn from the game? Here are a few key takeaways:
Cofie steps up
It was an impressive performance from Virginia transfer Jacob Cofie, who had perhaps his best performance in Cardinal and Gold to date. Cofie finished the game with 21 points and 10 rebounds, good for his third double-double of the season.
No big performances
It was a good game for USC’s defense, who stepped up on a night where the offense was not at its best. Perhaps most notably, no Washington State player scored more than 13 points. The Trojans did not let one big performance beat them, forcing the Cougars to spread the ball around in search of scoring.
Getting to the line
USC attempted 34 free throws—of which the Trojans made 27—to Washington State’s 14. Some of that may be luck, but Eric Musselman’s team seemingly made a conscious effort to attack the basket in order to get to the foul line, and it paid off.
Threes won’t fall
Getting so many free throws was especially crucial for USC because it was a rough game from behind the three-point line. The Trojans made just one of their 14 three-point attempts, a staggering eight percent rate. USC was able to get away with the poor shooting performance against Washington State, but the Trojans will need to be significantly better than that against Big Ten opponents.
Up next
USC is back in action on Wednesday night when the Trojans host UTSA at Galen Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Pacific time on Big Ten Network.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Takeaways from USC basketball’s 68-61 victory over Washington State
Reporting by Adam Bradford, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
