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One path closed to the hoop, then another, then another, each slammed shut with a sudden streak of cardinal and gold, before Illinois State forward Chase Walker found himself enveloped by four towering Trojans, each with their arms high in the air. He could barely budge before the shot clock sounded.

When Eric Musselman had envisioned a potentially stifling defense in his second season as USC ’s coach, this was precisely what he had in mind: Staggering size, suffocating length and ferocious effort to match.

But Friday night’s 87-67 win over Illinois State would offer only a temporary glimpse of the Trojans’ defensive ceiling, before reminding how much USC still has to figure ou

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