If you thought USC’s 101-65 loss to No. 10 Illinois would be its most heartbreaking showing this week, you were wrong.
Against Oregon (10-17, 3-13), the Trojans (18-9, 7-9) squandered a six-point lead with just over a minute remaining and conceded a 71-70 loss to the second-worst team in the conference.
Foul trouble, poor shooting and a failure to keep the ball protected shaped the last-minute Trojan collapse. For a USC team on the bubble of the upcoming NCAA Tournament, this three-game losing streak couldn’t come at a worse time.
The tale of the tape for USC was freshman guard Alijah Arenas’ offensive struggles. He didn’t record a field goal until the 11:49 mark of the second half.
“It’s a crushing loss,” USC head coach Eric Musselman said, later adding, “We certainly need Alijah to shoot better than 4-for-14.”
But the Trojans showcased plenty more shortcomings that aren’t as easily explained away as a poor shooting night from a freshman. In his return from injury, graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara notched a team-high 21 points, but racked up four fouls early in the second half and was significantly limited the rest of the game. Senior forward Ezra Ausar shot 37.5 percent from the free throw line. Sophomore forward Jacob Cofie committed five turnovers.
Oregon’s suffocating zone defense was bolstered by 7-foot senior center Nate Bittle, who notched 14 points and 11 rebounds and made it nearly impossible for USC to score inside. Junior forward Kwame Evans Jr. poured in 21 points, 18 of which came in the second half.
Some late-game heroics from Arenas and Ausar – who accounted for 22 of USC’s second half points – gave the Trojans an edge. A Cofie free throw with 1:10 left in the game put USC up six.
Then things started to unravel.
Evans drove and scored on Ausar, who committed his fifth foul and was forced to check out of the game. Cofie’s turnover on the next possession resulted in an Evans 3-pointer that brought Oregon within one. Misses from Arenas and graduate guard Kam Woods put the ball back in the Ducks’ hands.
With the game on the line, Oregon did what it had done all game: took advantage of its interior size and got the ball to Bittle. He drew Baker-Mazara’s final foul with 10 seconds remaining, sending him to the bench and garnering the two free throws that would put the Ducks ahead by one. USC didn’t take any of its three remaining timeouts, opting to let Arenas flow and figure things out. He turned the ball over with two seconds left in the game to seal it for Oregon.
“It doesn’t feel real,” graduate guard Ryan Cornish said of the loss.
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With the loss, the Trojans have complicated their path to the NCAA Tournament. This team feels like a far cry from the one that started the season 8-0 and won the Maui Invitational. And while the presence of junior guard Rodney Rice is sorely missed, it’s impossible to attribute all of USC’s recent woes to his absence.
The Trojans were certainly expected to have trouble with ranked conference opponents like No. 1 Michigan and No. 7 Purdue, but were shocked by a crushing home loss to unranked Northwestern a month ago today. USC is 4-4 since then.
The team will travel across town on February 24 for its next matchup at Pauley Pavilion against a UCLA team that just upset Illinois in overtime Saturday evening. A win against the Bruins could be a real statement for USC – but tough losses to inferior teams won’t do the Trojans any favors.
At this point in the season, it’s Tournament or bust.