The USC men's basketball team will have to push for the NCAA tournament without the program’s second-leading scorer, Chad Baker-Mazara. The school announced Sunday that the graduate student is no longer a part of the program.
“Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of the USC Men's Basketball program,” the program said in a news release.
Baker-Mazara, a transfer from Auburn, had appeared in 26 games for the Trojans, posting averages of 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.
What happened to Chad Baker-Mazara?
He had suffered an apparent leg injury after taking a hard fall to the baseline with 16:59 remaining in the Trojans’ loss to Nebraska on Saturday. USC coach Eric Musselman was asked about Baker-Mazara after the game and had this to say.
“He [Baker-Mazara] said he couldn't go,” Musselman said when asked what happened to the senior guard. “I haven't talked to the trainer. He said he couldn't go.” Musselman said he didn't have any idea moving forward as to what Baker-Mazara's status could look like.
After heading to the locker room briefly, Baker-Mazara returned to sit courtside near injured Trojans star Rodney Rice—and not with the team—for the remainder of the game. When asked if it was customary for a starting-caliber player to sit there, Musselman told reporters it was because of a “lack of a number of seats.”
Interesting part of Nebraska vs. USC game yesterday, Chad Baker-Mazara left the game with an injury briefly, came back out to the court but didn't sit on the main bench with the team rather courtside for the rest of the game.
— Chase Matteson (@ChaseMatteson) March 1, 2026
Today, USC moves on from Baker-Mazara.⬇️ https://t.co/PQdAqQco8P pic.twitter.com/RXt0syRiDE
It's not clear whether the injury is related to Sunday's surprising news, but one thing is clear: It puts the Trojans in a precarious spot with just two games remaining in the regular season.
What Baker-Mazara's absence means for USC's NCAA tournament hopes
The Trojans were already without Rice, who in December underwent season-ending shoulder surgery. Now, USC will have to navigate its final two regular season games without arguably its current best player in Baker-Mazara, an experienced guard who was a key member of the 2024-25 Auburn Tigers team that made a run all the way to the Final Four.
Earlier this week, Sports Illustrated's Kevin Sweeney projected USC on the wrong side of the bubble as one of the first four teams out. The Trojans did nothing to help their case since, losing two straight games to UCLA and Nebraska. All told, the Trojans have now lost five straight contests. USC may still have an outside shot at making the NCAA tournament via an at-large bid, but the program will likely need to win out in its final two games against Washington and UCLA and/or make a deep run in the Big Ten tournament to do so.
Those tasks just became a lot more difficult in light of the Baker-Mazara news.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chad Baker-Mazara No Longer a Member of USC Men’s Basketball Team.
