Alijah Arenas could be the jolt Trojans need on the court

Just last week, Eric Musselman looked like a defeated man.As he met with reporters after his team’s horrific loss to Northwestern last week, the USC basketball coach referenced one deficiency after another.His face wore a pained expression as he ticked them off.Terrible three-point and free-throw shooting.

A pair of blown defensive coverages by guard Ezra Ausar.Sixth-year senior Chad Baker-Mazara fouled out in only 14 minutes.

An inability to find five players worthy of taking the court together amid a series of injuries.At that point, the Trojans were trending toward going from a surprise Big Ten team to a disappointment, their 12-1 start a distant memory after four losses in six games.“How much does it hurt? How much does it matter?” Musselman said when asked about his message to his team.“I mean, that’s all — I can’t answer any of that.

I know how much sleep I’m going to get tonight, but I’m not out there, so there was definitely not enough hurt after the last game” against Purdue.What happened next brought some much-needed elation.Practically everything that went wrong against the Wildcats went right against Wisconsin.Ausur didn’t blow critical defensive assignments.Baker-Mazara scored 29 points without fouling out.

The Trojans played cohesively, allowing them to withstand a terrible shooting night from long range.Three days later, USC nearly completed a road sweep after coming back from 17 points down against Iowa before falling short in the final seconds.It was another glimpse of what this team might be able to do in March if it pulls everything together.California Post News: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, YouTube, WhatsApp, LinkedInCalifornia Post Sports Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, XCalifornia Post Opinion California Post Newsletters: Sign up here!California Post App: Download here!Page Six Hollywood: Sign up here!Here’s a look at where the Trojans stand and what they need to do to finish the season on the upswing:Safe...