Takeaways from USC men's basketball's 97-70 home victory over UTSA

On Wednesday night, the USC men’s basketball team defeated UTSA 97-70 at Galen Center. With the victory, the Trojans improved to 11-1 on the 2025-2026 season.

What did we learn from the game? Here are a few key takeaways:

Missing Rice

The game itself was somewhat overshadowed by the news that USC announced earlier in the day: Rodney Rice will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. The Trojans were able to do more than enough to take down UTSA without Rice, but managing life without him will be a lot tougher once Big Ten play resumes.

Overcoming a slow start

USC had a slow start to the game, and the Trojans found themselves trailing 31-27 late in the first half. Eventually, however, USC put its foot on the gas pedal, outscoring UTSA 72-39 the rest of the way.

Double-double for Ausar

It was an impressive night for Ezra Ausar, who recorded his first double-double as a Trojan. He finished the game with a team-leading 22 points and 10 rebounds.

An unlikely hero

Over the first four weeks of the season, Ryan Cornish played just eight total minutes and scored zero points. Over the past few games, however, he has been able to work his way into the rotation after injuries have depleted USC’s depth. Against UTSA, he had by far his best game in Cardinal and Gold to date, scoring 18 points.

Up next

The Trojans will wrap up nonconference play on Sunday afternoon with a matchup against Division III UC Santa Cruz. The game serves as a replacement for USC’s scheduled contest against Brown, which was canceled after the shooting on Brown’s campus. Tipoff is set for 1:00 p.m. Pacific time on Big Ten Network.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC men’s basketball defeats UTSA 97-70: Key takeaways

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