USC’s Terrance Williams II passes the ball around the back of UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau during the first half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara celebrates after making a 3-point shot duri ng the first half of their Big Ten game against UCLA on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) UCLA’s Trent Perry drives around USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara (4) during the first half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara falls to the court while trying to get around UCLA’s Skyy Clark during the first half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) USC’s Jacob Cofie, right, blocks a shot by UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau during the first half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) UCLA head coach Mick Cronin gestures during the first half of their Big Ten game against USC on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) USC’s Kam Woods, left, and UCLA’s Trent Perry battle for a rebound during the first half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) UCLA’s Donovan Dent takes a shot as USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara defends during the first half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara celebrates after making a 3-point shot during the first half of their Big Ten game against UCLA on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) USC’s Ezra Ausar, left, and UCLA’s Trent Perry battle for a rebound during the first half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) USC’s Kam Woods (13) tries to shield the ball from UCLA’s Trent Perry (0) and Donovan Dent (2) during the first half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara controls the ball as UCLA’s Trent Perry defends during the first half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) USC’s Ezra Ausar looks on during the first half of their Big Ten game against UCLA on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) UCLA’s Trent Perry drives down the court as USC’s Ryan Cornish defends during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) USC’s Ezra Ausar takes a shot as UCLA’s Eric Dailey Jr. defends during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) USC’s Ezra Ausar takes a shot as UCLA’s Eric Dailey Jr., right, defends during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) UCLA’s Trent Perry talks with Coach Mick Cronin during the second half of their Big Ten game against USC on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) UCLA’s Skyy Clark, bottom, and USC’s Jacob Cofie reach for a rebound during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) UCLA’s Donovan Dent drives to the basket as USC’s Jacob Cofie (6) defends and UCLA’s Xavier Booker, left, looks on during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) USC’s Alijah Arenas is called for an offensive foul after charging into UCLA’s Trent Perry, bottom, during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) USC head coach Eric Musselman looks on from the sideline during the second half of their Big Ten game against UCLA on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) USC’s Terrance Williams II keeps the ball from UCLA’s Trent Perry (0) and Tyler Bilodeau (34) during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) UCLA’s Donovan Dent handles the ball as USC’s Ryan Cornish defends during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) USC’s Alijah Arenas drives as UCLA’s Trent Perry defends during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) UCLA’s Donovan Dent gestures after making a 3-point shot during the second half of their Big Ten game against USC on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) USC’s Chad Baker-Mazara takes a shot s UCLA’s Skyy Clark, right, defends during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) USC’s Kam Woods takes a shot during the second half of their Big Ten game against UCLA on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) UCLA’s Trent Perry gestures after a dunk during the second half of their Big Ten game against USC on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) USC’s Alijah Arenas takes a shot as UCLA’s Trent Perry defends during the second half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) UCLA’s Donovan Dent walks off the court after scoring 30 points with seven assists in an 81-62 victory over USC in a Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) Show Caption1 of 30USC’s Terrance Williams II passes the ball around the back of UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau during the first half of their Big Ten game on Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026, at Pauley Pavilion. (Photo by David Crane, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG) Expand LOS ANGELES — Success has dropped in for occasional visits with the USC men’s basketball team this season. It traveled with the Trojans to the Maui Invitational in late November and strode into Minneapolis to see them pull off a gritty overtime win against Minnesota. USC earned these dates with success because of an unwillingness to roll over when injuries had at one point wiped out three key players. Head coach Eric Musselman was squeezing every ounce of talent out of every player, from touted transfer Chad Baker-Mazara to Ryan Cornish, an Ivy League addition. And yet, a spot in the 68-team NCAA Tournament field might be out of reach for the second season in a row. The Trojans’ hopes of going dancing appear to be crumbling before their very eyes. “We’re not in the tournament – we’re outside looking in,” Musselman said after Tuesday night’s 81-62 loss to UCLA at Pauley Pavilion. “We have to figure out a way to win a game before we even worry about anything of that magnitude. We have three opportunities left, and then we have the Big Ten Tournament.” Oregon had pushed USC (18-10 overall, 7-10 Big Ten) to the wrong side of the NCAA tourney bubble on Saturday, leaving them projected as one of the “first four out” teams in ESPN’s latest bracketology on Tuesday morning. UCLA (19-9, 11-6) likely nudged the Trojans a bit further down the pecking order with Tuesday’s result. However, projections are never guarantees. USC, which is on a four-game losing streak, has three games left against No. 12 Nebraska, Washington and UCLA to make a strong enough case to earn one of the Big Ten Conference’s nine projected bids. “We’re a team that has been on the bubble with three games left and we haven’t played good basketball in the last four games,” Musselman said. “And obviously, the Northwestern loss and the Oregon loss is going to hurt us for sure.” UCLA’s Donovan Dent claimed the spotlight with a season-high 30 points on Tuesday, but Baker-Mazara was the star for USC. He poured his heart into Tuesday’s rivalry game, making four of USC’s seven first-half 3-pointers before briefly leaving the game with an apparent leg injury early in the second half. Athletic trainers quickly got to work, stretching the Trojans’ leading scorer’s lower body until he re-entered the game roughly five minutes later. He never appeared to fully recover his strength, hobbling at times on the weakened leg, but he still contributed a team-high 25 points. Musselman said he won’t know Baker-Mazara’s status until Wednesday, and he was dissatisfied with the lack of scoring from the team overall. USC shot 35% from the floor against UCLA and hit just 30.8% of its 3-point shots. The Trojans have spent almost the entire season without Rodney Rice, who has been out since Dec. 17 due to a right shoulder injury, and Musselman acquiesced to the challenges that his absence has caused. “It kills our spacing. It kills all the help to the ball,” Musselman said. “And as my wife said, take a 20-point scorer off any team and see what they do. Take Dent off of them, and let’s see what they do. That’s a fact. “I haven’t brought (Rodney’s injury) up. We got three games left. I’m gonna bring it up now, because to run our offense without a guy like him is problematic, for sure.” The last time USC made the NCAA Tournament was in 2023, which was coincidentally also Musselman’s last appearance. He was coaching Arkansas at the time and it was his third straight trip to the tournament. Success has visited the Trojans, but only in spurts. What will it take for it to stay? ...read more read less