In previous years, the prevailing storyline heading into a clash between the Washington men’s basketball team and No. 24 USC would focus on the three Huskies who recently left the Trojans and return to Los Angeles to face their former team for the first time.
Last season, forward Desmond Claude, guard Wesley Yates III and assistant Quincy Pondexter, the former Husky star, helped USC capture a pair of wins to extend its 11-game winning streak against UW that began five years ago.
Now they’re with the Huskies for the 3 p.m. Saturday showdown at Galen Center, which is the latest example of the fluent and unforeseen nature of big-time collegiate sports where old enemies become new friends in the blink of an eye.
“Honestly, I haven’t thought much about it,” Claude said at Big Ten media day when asked about the UW-USC matchup. “I know we go back there to play them, but it’s not like it’s circled on my calendar or anything like that.”
The 22-year-old Claude, who is a native of New Haven, Conn., began his collegiate career with a two-year stint at Xavier before transferring to USC last year. His basketball journey has reshaped how he views traditional sports rivalries.
“We know college basketball isn’t what it used to be with the portal and NIL and everything else. I know I’ve moved around and for me, there’s no animosity in those decisions. I don’t have any beef with those guys (at USC).
“And I can’t speak for anyone else. I’m sure some guys might have a chip on their shoulder or something like that when they play their old team. … But when you think about it, most of the guys we played with have left and that’s a whole new team. So, everything is different except the coaches.”
After a disappointing debut last season (17-18, 7-13 in Big Ten), second-year USC coach Eric Musselman reset the roster with pivotal portal pickups Chad Baker-Mazara (Auburn), Rodney Rice (Maryland) and Jacob Cofie (Virginia), the former Eastside Catholic standout.
The Trojans added nine transfers to offset seven players who left via the portal, including leading scorers Claude and Yates, who averaged 15.8 and 14.1 points, respectively, last season.
Led by Baker-Mazara (20.9 points per game) and Rice (20.3), who are tied for second and fifth in the Big Ten in scoring and the only Division I teammates averaging at least 20 points, USC is 8-0 overall and 1-0 in the Big Ten.
“They’re playing fast and they’re athletic,” UW coach Danny Sprinkle said. “They put a lot of pressure on you at the rim. Chad Baker-Mazara is arguably playing as well as anybody in the country right now. They’re undefeated for a reason. … We got our work cut out for us on Saturday.”
Sprinkle, who is at the start of his second season with UW, also reloaded in the offseason after a dismal 13-18 overall record and last-place Big Ten finish at 4-16.
However, the Huskies, who brought in 13 newcomers, are 5-3 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten play following two straight losses.
At times, Yates, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, has looked like a budding star while scoring at least 23 points during a recent three-game stretch. He’s also had his lowest-scoring performances (eight, nine and 12 points) during UW’s three losses.
“We’re at our best when he’s aggressive … but that doesn’t mean jacking up shots whenever he touches it,” Sprinkle said. “We need to get him shots when he’s in rhythm. … Once he makes one or two, that opens up drives where he really puts stress on the defense.”
After an ankle injury forced him to miss the first eight games, Claude’s production has been inconsistent. He dropped 20 points in his UW debut and scored two, 14 and five points in the past three games.
The 6-5 senior guard is averaging 10.3 points while shooting 31.9% from the floor, which is a steep decline from when he shot 48.2% last season.
“When you’re out for six weeks, it’s hard to get that rhythm back,” Sprinkle said. “And somehow, he’s got to find a way to get it back because at times, he’s got it.
“He’s just got to get comfortable playing and having the contact and being comfortable out there. Because we know what kind of player he is and we’re just waiting for him to show that to everybody.”
Sprinkle doesn’t believe Claude and Yates will be extra motivated to prove a point or settle a vendetta against the Trojans.
“It is what it is. You see it all over the country now with kids playing against their former teams,” Sprinkle said. “But we got to worry about ourselves.”
The Huskies are hoping to clean up the mistakes, including 15 turnovers and defensive gaffes that undermined a phenomenal career-high 29-point performance from star freshman forward Hannes Steinbach and resulted in an 82-80 loss to UCLA on Wednesday.
Washington, which aspires to snap its six-year NCAA tournament drought, is in desperate need of a signature win to boost its sagging resume. The Huskies fell to No. 87 in the NET and 0-3 in Quad 1 and 2 games.
After USC and four nonconference games in December, UW travels to face No. 22 Indiana (7-1) and No. 1 Purdue (8-0) before hosting Ohio State (6-1), No. 3 Michigan (7-0) and No. 7 Michigan State (8-0).
“It’s most definitely important to get back on track,” sophomore guard Zoom Diallo said when asked if USC is a must-win game. “The next game is the most important game.”
Note
• Rice has missed the past two games due to a shoulder injury while senior guard Amarion Dickerson suffered an undisclosed injury that limited him to just four minutes during USC’s 82-77 win against Oregon on Monday.
• Trojan freshman guard and five-star recruit Alijah Arenas (knee) is expected to make his collegiate debut mid-January.
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