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USC men’s basketball’s quest for a spot in the NCAA tournament was in grave danger after the Trojans were blown out in back-to-back games by Michigan and Michigan State. However, USC has since rebounded, securing much-needed wins against Minnesota and Maryland despite many injuries. At 3-3 in Big Ten play, the Trojans are still right in the middle of the fight to win the most competitive basketball conference in America.
This weekend, USC has to play one of the best teams in the country again, No. 5 Purdue. Can the Trojans give the Boilermakers a real fight? Or will they be humiliated again, in front of their home crowd this time?
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Here are five things to watch as USC takes on No. 5 Purdue on Saturday:
Chad Baker-Mazara’s health
Chad Baker-Mazara has had a puzzling last few games. Baker-Mazara inexplicably came off the bench against Michigan State and scored only 4 points in a game USC lost by 29 points. No explanation was given as to if that was injury related or not. Then, Baker-Mazara played the full 40 minutes against Minnesota and dropped 29 points to lead the Trojans past the Gophers.
But against Maryland, Baker-Mazara came off the bench and played only 9 minutes, scoring 7 points. This time, Musselman explained what was going on: Baker-Mazara is dealing with a neck injury. He was spotted getting his neck, shoulders and back stretched out early in the game on the sideline.
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USC’s odds to beat Purdue increase dramatically if Baker-Mazara plays. The 19 points-per-game scorer has carried the brunt of the load on offense for USC with Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas sidelined with injury.
Is togetherness the key offensively?
Coach Eric Musselman brought up some revealing stats during his postgame press conference following USC’s win over Maryland.
“We had 23 assists, 235 passes and only six turnovers,” Musselman said. “It’s the most passes we’ve had all year in a game. I’m super proud of the togetherness, and it showed by the sharing of the basketball. We…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/5-things-watch-usc-mens-135129147.html
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Publish date : 2026-01-16 13:51:00
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