Shaking off the early season rust

How many Big Ten teams were nervous at halftime last night? All of them.

But one took it all the way to the final whistle. Let’s get into it.

1. USC avoids massive late-night upset

The Big Ten looked sleepy on Thursday night. All four of its teams got pushed, but none more than USC.

The Trojans trailed Idaho State with 3:24 remaining and needed someone to deliver a key bucket in the final minutes.

That would be Northern Colorado transfer Saint Thomas.

Thomas, who is familiar with Idaho State from his Big Sky days, gave USC enough cushion with that three that it could just hit free throws to seal the win. He finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists. Josh Cohen kept the Trojans in the game throughout the night with 19 points, while sophomore guard Wesley Yates had an impact with 13 points off the bench, plus the final two free throws of the game.

USC (2-0) wasn’t sharp on defense, allowing 1.04 points per possession. Xavier transfer Desmond Claude struggled, which coach Eric Musselman called out postgame.

“Desmond’s gotta step up and be a great player on both ends of the floor. His impact was minimal at times. And you know, he knows it.”

There is some good news for the Trojans. Their depth — they’ve played nine guys in key minutes thus far — gives Musselman some flexibility if someone struggles.

But when you can’t find a groove against Idaho State, which hasn’t had a winning record in nine seasons, it doesn’t build confidence with Cal coming to LA next weekend.

By the way, credit to Idaho State, who has been an early thorn in high-major teams’ sides between Arizona State and USC in the first week. Washington State transfer Dylan Darling (22 points) has been an impact newcomer to the Bengals, who might just be a team to watch in the Big Sky and finally get a winning record.

Their next chance to cause chaos in the non-conference will be on Nov. 20, when they’ll take on UCLA.

2. Gators chomp down on Jacksonville + more recaps

Only one ranked team played Thursday night in No. 21 Florida. And after a tight first seven minutes, it ran away from Jacksonville in its home opener, winning 81-60 behind a big night from sophomore forward Alex Condon.

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