USC Basketball Faces Tough Times Ahead

It seems like things are only getting worse for the USC basketball team.

Just four days after coach Eric Musselman expressed disappointment over losing their top scorer, Rodney Rice, to an injury at the start of the season, they faced another setback.

Guard Chad Baker-Mazara, who stepped up in Rice’s absence, went down early in the second half of their game against No. 12 Nebraska at the Galen Center, leaving the Trojans without their next best player.

As anticipated, the now short-handed Trojans struggled significantly, ending with a disappointing 82-67 loss to the Cornhuskers. This marked their fifth consecutive loss, casting doubt on their prospects for making the NCAA Tournament.

Baker-Mazara appeared to suffer a leg injury after a hard fall near the baseline with 16 minutes and 59 seconds remaining. He had just blocked a shot from Nebraska’s Price Sandfort when he fell during the transition.

After heading to the tunnel and presumably to the locker room, Baker-Mazara returned to the bench, taking a seat next to Rice.

The Trojans (18-11, 7-11 Big 11) struggled offensively as Baker-Mazara exited the game. They had held a five-point lead at halftime, but their shooting dropped to just 38.5% in the second half, and they missed all nine of their three-point attempts, leading to a frustrating 51-31 score in the latter half.

Despite coming off the bench for the first time this season, guard Ariya Arenas managed to score 14 points (all in the second half), but it wasn’t sufficient. Baker-Mazara also contributed 14 points before his injury, tying Arenas for the team lead.

Overall, there wasn’t a lot of positivity unless you were a Nebraska supporter. A contingent of Cornhuskers fans was heard chanting “Go Big Red!” in the second half, seemingly ignoring USC’s colors.

What It Means

As of Saturday, USC had dropped to No. 61 in the NET rankings, but this was a game they desperately needed for their NCAA Tournament chances.

Ultimately, they couldn’t secure a win and finished with just two Quad 1 victories, while also struggling at home with a 9-6 record.

Turning Point

USC briefly took inspiration from a 36-31 lead in the first half, but they fell apart after halftime.

Baker-Mazara’s injury certainly didn’t help their cause.

Nebraska responded with a 12-2 run, highlighted by a lob from Jamarquez Lawrence and a dunk from Berk Buyuktuncel. This was followed by a 15-0 scoring run that widened their lead to 20 points.

MVP

Defensively, USC had no answer for Sandfort, who was a constant threat throughout the game.

The Nebraska forward ended with 32 points, shooting 12 of 21 from the field and making 5 of 10 from beyond the arc. His three-pointer, with just over nine minutes left, extended Nebraska’s lead to 18 points and prompted another unsuccessful timeout from Musselman.

To the Next

The Trojans are set to face Washington on Wednesday before going up against UCLA on March 7 at the Galen Center, marking the second matchup in just 12 days with their crosstown rivals.