Tuesday, April 1
Las Vegas, Nev.
8 p.m.
USC
17-17,7-13Big Ten
89
vs
60
Tulane
19-15,12-6AAC
1
2
F
Tulane
24
36
60
Southern California
39
50
89
Team Stats
Tulane
USC
FG%
.339
.636
3FG%
.318
.500
FT%
.682
.588
RB
26
39
TO
14
14
STL
11
7
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
27
FGM
10
3FGM
3
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
Guard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballForward
/ Men's BasketballPhoto by: John McGillen/USC Athletics
USC Men's Basketball Dominates Tulane In Opening Round Of College Basketball Crown
April 01, 2025 | Men's Basketball
The Trojans defeated the Green Wave 89-60 with Rashaun Agee securing 27 points and nine rebounds.
LAS VEGAS – USC Men's Basketball (17-17, 7-13 Big Ten) continued with postseason play as they competed in the opening round of the College Basketball Crown against Tulane. The Trojans capitalized on this opportunity to play in the postseason as they secured a dominant 89-60 win over the Green Wave to move onto the quarterfinals.
HOW IT HAPPENED
USC was the first team on the board thanks to a layup from Desmond Claude. With additional baskets from Rashaun Agee and Clark Slajchert, the Trojans took the early lead over the Green Wave. USC kept on adding pressure from there as USC grew its lead to 11 with just eight minutes to go in the first half. USC continued to suppress their opponent, preventing Tulane from scoring a field goal for over six minutes. This gave USC all the momentum they needed to pull ahead even more, resulting in the Trojans going up by a score of 39-24.
The Trojans started the second half the same way they began the first, except, this time, Saint Thomas came in for the layup. That, followed by a three-pointer from Agee, allowed USC to keep their 15-point lead over Tulane in the early minutes of this half. The Green Wave tried to get within reach of the Trojans, but back-to-back baskets from Matt Knowling allowed USC to keep their distance. Again, the Green Wave looked to chip away at the lead, but USC responded again, this time with back-to-back dunks from Agee and Knowling. The Trojans finally sealed the deal with a 15-point run late in the second half. By the end of the game, USC remained dominant as they took down Tulane 89-60.
NOTABLES
The Trojans will have a day to prepare before taking on the Villanova Wildcats in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown on Thursday, April 3. This game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. inside the MGM Garden Grand Arena. For those who can't make it to Las Vegas, they can watch on FS1 or listen through the ESPN LA app.
HOW IT HAPPENED
USC was the first team on the board thanks to a layup from Desmond Claude. With additional baskets from Rashaun Agee and Clark Slajchert, the Trojans took the early lead over the Green Wave. USC kept on adding pressure from there as USC grew its lead to 11 with just eight minutes to go in the first half. USC continued to suppress their opponent, preventing Tulane from scoring a field goal for over six minutes. This gave USC all the momentum they needed to pull ahead even more, resulting in the Trojans going up by a score of 39-24.
The Trojans started the second half the same way they began the first, except, this time, Saint Thomas came in for the layup. That, followed by a three-pointer from Agee, allowed USC to keep their 15-point lead over Tulane in the early minutes of this half. The Green Wave tried to get within reach of the Trojans, but back-to-back baskets from Matt Knowling allowed USC to keep their distance. Again, the Green Wave looked to chip away at the lead, but USC responded again, this time with back-to-back dunks from Agee and Knowling. The Trojans finally sealed the deal with a 15-point run late in the second half. By the end of the game, USC remained dominant as they took down Tulane 89-60.
NOTABLES
- Twenty-nine points marked USC's largest margin of victory since USC beat Washington by 31 on March 5.
- As a squad, the Trojans shot just under 64 percent from the field, well above their 48.2 percent season average.
- Rashaun Agee turned in a massive 27-point game, making 10 of 12 shots from the field while also having nine rebounds.
- USC outscored Tulane in the paint 50-24.
- Agee made his 100th field goal of the season during the first half, scoring on four of his six attempts from the field. Agee contributed 12 first half points, had six rebounds, one assist and one steal all in the first 20 minutes of the game.
- Playing in his 100th career game, Clark Slajchert contributed 10 points and two rebounds.
- Eight Trojans scored against Tulane, including freshman walk-on Brit Burden.
- Saint Thomas had 14 points, five rebounds and nine assists, dishing out the most assists for USC for the 16th time this season. He also had two blocks and three steals.
- Bryce Pope knocked down two threes for the Trojans in the first half, contributing six first-half points.
- The win tonight marked the first postseason win for USC in a non-conference tournament since USC beat Drake 72-56 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2021.
- USC allowed just 24 first-half points, tying the fewest allowed in a game this season. The last time the Trojans did this was when they held Southern to 24 points in the second half on Dec. 22, 2024.
- USC tried its 10th different starting lineup combo this season - Saint Thomas, Desmond Claude, Matt Knowling, Rashaun Agee and Clark Slajchert.
- Eric Musselman is now 1-0 against the Green Waves.
- USC remains undefeated against Tulane, sitting at 4-0 all-time.
- Tonight's win over Tulane marked USC's first game played and first victory in school history in April.
The Trojans will have a day to prepare before taking on the Villanova Wildcats in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Crown on Thursday, April 3. This game will tip off at 6:30 p.m. inside the MGM Garden Grand Arena. For those who can't make it to Las Vegas, they can watch on FS1 or listen through the ESPN LA app.
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