‘A huge problem’: USC’s free-throw shooting woes prove costly in loss to UCLA

Saint Thomas wiped his hands, tossing away the towel as he stepped to the free-throw line. Ninety-six seconds remained in the latest meeting of the crosstown showdown — a game that, in recent memory, had lent itself to late-game heroics on this very hardwood. USC had won five of six here over UCLA, and so the whole of Galen Center teemed with anxious delirium, expecting more rivalry magic.

Thomas had just pulled down a pivotal rebound in traffic on the other end, drawing a foul that finally could put USC in front of UCLA after an entire night spent clawing toward that end. In that moment, the senior forward roared to the arena’s rafters, hands clenched in fists. But now Thomas stood with his right toe on the stripe, steeling himself for two of the biggest free throws of USC’s season. He took a deep breath.

His first free throw went long, clanking off the back iron. Thomas took another deep breath. Then, the second rattled out.

Less than 30 seconds later, UCLA’s Sebastian Mack let a dagger fly from distance, and the Trojans, in the wake of an 82-76 loss to the rival Bruins, were left to wonder what might have been had they made just a few more free throws.

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After a second straight game marred by poor shooting from the line, USC coach Eric Musselman didn’t mince words. He called it “a huge problem.”

“We had two home games where we just haven’t converted at a good enough rate. I don’t know what else to do,” Musselman said. “I’m not gonna wave a magic wand and change that.”

After shooting just 11 for 17 from the line in a home loss to Wisconsin, USC was 11 for 19 on Monday. The Trojans missed seven free throws in the second half, including five in the final five-plus minutes. And while Thomas’ misses came at the most consequential moment, a trio of other Trojans had their chances in the moments before. Rashaun Agee missed an and-one with 5:13 remaining. Then, Desmond Claude missed the back end of a pair at the 3:31 mark.

Freshman guard Wesley Yates III had a shot to tie the game too, just one possession before Thomas. But his first free throw was short, a miss that lingered with him after the game.

“I work on free throws every single day, so it’s pretty frustrating for me,” Yates said. “I try to get at least 100 makes in a day. Ten free throws in a row, 10 times. I’ve just got to be more focused, gotta step up, gotta be mature enough to do it every game.”

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Part of the problem, in Musselman’s estimation, is USC (12-8, 4-5) simply isn’t drawing the number of fouls the coach is used to. In five of his last six seasons as a coach, Musselman’s teams have ranked among the top 31 in college basketball in free-throw rate.

Those calls, as USC’s coach sees it, haven’t been coming as frequently in the Big Ten.

“Our team — not now, not this year, but for like the last 11 years — we put pressure on the rim, and we’re one of the highest free-throw-attempt teams in the country,” Musselman said. “So you come into the game, and say, ‘Drive the basketball, they’re a high-foul team, a really physical team.’ All these questions and stuff, and one of the most baffling is how do we only take 19 foul shots?”

Without the whistles they were hoping for, the Trojans turned to the three-point line early. That approach worked quite well for a while, as USC kept itself afloat with seven first-half threes. The Trojans made 31 threes overall, their most of the season. But USC hit just one shot from long range over the final 10 minutes.

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The Trojans instead relied on undersized big man Agee to carry them to the finish line. Agee scored 11 points in the final 13 minutes on his way to a career-high 21.

But his effort wasn’t quite enough, not as USC left five free points on the table in the final minutes.

“You can’t get every shot,” Agee said. “But what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna get in the gym tomorrow, and we’re gonna do exactly what we always do. We’re gonna work on our game, we’re gonna build confidence, and next game we’re going to make them.”