USC Coach Eric Musselman Expresses Frustration with Officiating After Loss to Purdue
USC head coach Eric Musselman was visibly frustrated with the officiating during Thursday’s Big Ten Tournament loss to Purdue.
In Indianapolis, Musselman was cautious in his comments but made it clear that he believed some key mistakes were made by the referees in the 76-71 defeat in the tournament’s second round. Two controversial calls in the final 30 seconds stood out. First, when Camden Heide grabbed an offensive rebound and his shot attempt hit the bottom of the backboard, Musselman believed it should have been ruled out-of-bounds, giving USC possession. Then, with the game tied at 71-71, Rashaun Agee was called for a foul on an inbound lob pass to Trey Kaufman-Renn with 28.3 seconds left. Kaufman-Renn made the free throws, securing the win for Purdue.
“I saw what everyone else saw,” Musselman said. “My daughter watched it at home, my mom saw it in San Diego. All you have to do is go on Twitter. We played well enough to win, but give credit to Purdue. Weāre new, and we have to earn respect.”
USC’s leading scorer, Desmond Claude, struggled with foul trouble throughout the game, playing only seven minutes in the first half and picking up his fourth foul early in the second. Despite this, he finished with 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Musselman voiced frustration over the fouls called against his star player.
“I didnāt realize Desmond was so physical, but I guess he was tonight,” Musselman said. “Anyone can watch the game on tape. It doesnāt help me to complain and get fined. The game is reviewable for anyone who wants to see it.”
Musselmanās biggest frustration was that he felt his team was in a strong position to pull off the upset and advance to the quarterfinals, making the loss even tougher to accept.
“This is probably the hardest game I’ve ever lost,” Musselman said, “and Iāve been coaching for a really long time.”
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