Let’s be honest enough to admit it: Among the revenue sports, it has been a hard time for USC athletics the past few years. The football program has fallen short. The men’s basketball team has gone through a lot of hard times. Women’s basketball has been the shining light but has been brutally unlucky with injuries — JuJu Watkins, Kennedy Smith for a few key games — this season. On Sunday, USC finally had the kind of day Trojans yearn for. Sam Darnold went to the Super Bowl, and USC men’s basketball won at Wisconsin.
Sam Darnold
A beloved Trojan who gave USC football its only real moments of championship glory since Pete Carroll left, Sam Darnold now has a Super Bowl appearance — as a starter — under his belt. He went to a Super Bowl as a backup with the San Francisco 49ers, but now he’s the man in the big game. It’s such a feel-good story, too. Darnold spent a lot of years under bad coaches playing for bad teams. He finally found good situations and has become a legitimately high-level NFL quarterback. That, as much as the Super Bowl, means the world to him and USC fans.
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History
Sam Darnold becomes the first USC quarterback to start in a Super Bowl. The football program no longer has to wonder when this will happen. It’s a proud day for USC football fans, and it doesn’t matter that this has nothing to do with Lincoln Riley or the current team. It’s part of USC’s football heritage that a school this good, this accomplished, in college football now has an achievement which was delayed far too long.
USC men’s basketball
USC was on the wrong side of the bubble after the awful loss to Northwestern. Now the Trojans are on the good side of the bubble after winning at Wisconsin. It’s the biggest win of Eric Musselman’s USC tenure by far.
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Chad Baker-Mazara
Chad Baker-Mazara fouled out very early against Northwestern. He bounced back in a huge way against Wisconsin and played like a star in crunch time. This is the resilience which defines an NCAA Tournament team.
USC free throws
USC got it right at the free throw line against Wisconsin, making 17 of 23 (74 percent). Guys adjusted and improved. This is what a mature team looks like after an immature performance against Northwestern. Again: Resilience entered the picture for this team.
Comeback
USC was down double digits midway through the second half and fought back to steal this win. If USC maintains this level of toughness, the Trojans will make the NCAA Tournament and give a huge boost to the Eric Musselman era.
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Last really big USC moment in a big-three sport
Football, basketball, and baseball are the big three sports. USC’s last really big moment before Sunday was the Trojan baseball team beating TCU in the NCAA Tournament. It had been a decade since the Trojans had done anything of similar consequence on the diamond.
Last truly elite USC achievement in a big-three sport
The USC women’s basketball team winning the Big Ten title and reaching the Elite Eight in 2025 was the last top-tier achievement in a big-three sport. Women’s basketball has carried the freight among big-three sports at USC. Sunday, football and men’s basketball finally joined the parade.
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Next two weeks
Follow Trojans Wire for extensive Sam Darnold coverage connected to Super Bowl LX, as the Seattle Seahawks play staff writer Adam Bradford’s favorite NFL team, the New England Patriots on Sunday, February 8.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Sam Darnold, USC men’s basketball create memorable Sunday afternoon