Saint Thomas propels USC men’s basketball to win over Idaho State

LOS ANGELES — They needed a spark, and so Saint Thomas ripped off the mask.

He shouldn’t have really. He broke his nose three weeks ago, in an exhibition against UTSA, and the black guard over his face was the only thing allowing him to step on a court. Head coach Eric Musselman, certainly, didn’t tell him to take it off.

But Musselman had told Thomas, when he first transferred to USC from Northern Colorado, to wear his identity on his sleeve. He wanted him to play with passion. With fire.