USC forward Chad Baker-Mazara (4) celebrates after scoring against Oregon during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) USC guard Ryan Cornish (9) left, and USC guard Alijah Arenas (0) cover their faces as they leave th e court after loosing to Oregon during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) USC head coach Eric Musselman touches the floor during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Oregon Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Oregon guard Takai Simpkins (5) scores against USC guard Takai Simpkins (0) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) USC forward Ezra Ausar (2) blocks a shot by Oregon forward Dezdrick Lindsay (4) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Show Caption1 of 5USC forward Chad Baker-Mazara (4) celebrates after scoring against Oregon during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes) Expand LOS ANGELES — Chad Baker-Mazara looked loose and confident in pregame warmups. He danced his way across the court as he hit shots from up close and far away, hung off the rim from one hand and dribbled around obstacles with fluidity. He appeared focused in his first appearance since Feb. 3, and rallied his USC teammates before taking the court for a game with NCAA Tournament implications against a struggling Oregon team. “In one of our huddles today, Chad just mentioned, like, guys, we’re playing basketball,” graduate guard Ryan Cornish told reporters. “We’re playing the game that we love, so we all know that we’re gonna give it our everything.” The Trojans’ hopes came crashing down in the final minute of play. Baker-Mazara scored 21 points in his first game back from injury, but it wasn’t enough to get the USC team a critical win against Oregon on Saturday. The Ducks scored the final seven points as the Trojans lost 71-70 at the Galen Center, dramatically reducing their chances of making the NCAA Tournament. USC has now lost three games in a row with four more contests remaining on the schedule — UCLA, Nebraska, Washington and another game against the Bruins in the regular-season finale. “Our locker room’s crushed,” head coach Eric Musselman said. “I mean, they knew what was at stake. We win this game, and we’re in a really good spot. You lose this game, you’re in a really tough, difficult spot. Somehow, we’ve got to try to regroup. Ezra Ausar added 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Trojans (18-9, 7-9 Big Ten) before fouling out late in the game. Alijah Arenas chipped in 13 points and five assists. Jacob Cofie led the defensive efforts with five blocks. Kwame Evans Jr. scored 21 points to lead Oregon (10-17, 3-13), which had lost 11 of its last 12. Both teams traded points until Arenas made back-to-back baskets on a 3-pointer and a jump shot that had him leaping above defenders near the five-minute mark. It polished off a 7-0 scoring run and gave USC a 63-56 lead. Cofie’s free throw with 1:10 to play gave USC a seemingly comfortable 70-64 lead, but that was the beginning of the end. Evans drove for a layup with 59 seconds left, then, after a Cofie turnover, banked in a 3-pointer eight seconds later to make it a one-point game. Baker-Mazara fouled out with 10 seconds left to send Nate Bittle to the line. The 7-footer made two free throws to put Oregon ahead. The comeback was complete after an Arenas turnover with two seconds left. “They were trying to speed us up with their press, trying to get us to turn the ball over so they can get the ball back and get a bucket and get ahead,” graduate forward Jaden Brownell said. “I think the biggest thing is just staying composed, making sure we’re doing what we work on in practice.” Baker-Mazara had missed the last three games due to a knee strain but made a statement in his return, spearheading the Trojans’ offensive efforts with smooth, accurate shooting. The 6-foot-7 wing paced USC in the first half with 15 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field, including going 3 for 5 from 3-point range, and a perfect 4 for 4 on free throws. He shot 54.5% overall in the game. “Him coming back was great,” Brownell said. “Gave us a little bit of a push when he started hitting, and when he came in the game at the beginning. He’s a really good player, so he’s got to keep keeping his head up and get him to his spots.” Baker-Mazara grabbed a loose ball and hooked a layup on the other end of the court and followed up with a fast-break 3-pointer to give his team a 13-9 advantage with 13:31 on the clock. Ausar and Kam Woods (5 assists, 3 steals) turned up the pressure in the paint in a concerted effort to make Bittle uncomfortable. Bittle had just returned to play Feb. 7 after dealing with an ankle injury and scored 14 points while pulling down 11 rebounds on Saturday. “He’s really good at sealing in the post, so it’s hard to take that away from him,” Brownell said. “That’s his specialty.” USC trailed 35-32 at the end of the first half despite leading by eight points midway through the frame. Six different Trojans scored in the first half, and their willingness to share the ball helped them finish plays. Alijah threw the ball up for Ausar to slap it in for a dunk and a 23-15 lead, and Woods recovered a missed shot by Ausar for a put-back jumper that helped USC stay ahead despite mounting pressure from the Ducks. Oregon took off on a 13-2 scoring run in the latter portion of the opening half. Dezdrick Lindsay hit a free throw to tie the game at 27-all and then a triple to give Oregon its first lead of the game. Twenty of the Ducks’ first-half points came in the paint, forcing the Trojans to clamp down defensively under the net in the second half. They forced Oregon to turn the ball over 10 times in the frame. “Defensively, we were doing great,” Brownell said. “We were playing a lot better in that second half, playing a lot harder. Offensively, we have to stay connected.” To add to USC’s struggles, Baker-Mazara received his fourth foul with 16 minutes remaining. Head coach Eric Musselman had little choice but to take him out of the game, and Baker-Mazara re-entered with 8:39 left. The Trojans got to work in his absence, scoring eight unanswered points to stay in the game. Cofie sent a bounce pass to Ausar for a dunk that pulled USC ahead 54-52, but Evans evened it up again with a jump shot. Musselman’s offensive approach changed significantly when Baker-Mazara fouled out. “When he fouled out — especially because he’s such a great foul shooter — it took away some options for what we could do late game,” Musselman said. “He fouled out against Northwestern, fouled out tonight. He’s super important to us from an offensive standpoint, especially.” USC will take on crosstown rival UCLA on Tuesday at Pauley Pavilion as it attempts to salvage a tournament bid. Related Articles USC’s Laura Williams traces motivation to father’s historic accomplishments USC men seek solutions to their Galen Center woes USC gets a scare as Jazzy Davidson exits late in victory over Wisconsin USC men have no answer for No. 10 Illinois in their most lopsided loss of season Jazzy Davidson has USC charging into final Big Ten stretch ...read more read less