USC finds its tournament hopes on the brink going into final stretch of season

USC’s 71–70 home loss to the 10–17 Oregon Ducks stands as one of the Trojans’ most stunning collapses of the season. A team that typically protects the Galen Center with ease has now dropped three straight games, and this one may sting the most. USC squandered a late lead, and in doing so, may have pushed its NCAA Tournament hopes to the brink.

USC entered the night already clinging to the bubble, and a late February home loss to a Quad 1 opponent may be the final blow to its at‑large hopes. A season defined by self‑inflicted wounds once again unraveled in familiar fashion by missing free throws, committing careless turnovers, and an inability to close out winnable games. Those recurring issues resurfaced at the worst possible time, and the Trojans now appear headed for a disappointing postseason shaped largely by their own inefficiencies.

Trojans are backed in a corner after disappointing loss

Chad Baker‑Mazara led USC with 21 points off the bench, but his impact was limited after four early fouls kept him sidelined for much of the second half. Ezra Ausar added 15, yet his 3‑for‑8 performance at the free‑throw line underscored a season‑long weakness for the Trojans. As a team, USC failed to crack 40 percent shooting and once again piled up double‑digit turnovers the familiar combination of inefficiency that continues to undermine any hope of a late‑season surge.

Despite all of USC’s issues, the Trojans still held a sizeable lead with just over a minute remaining and still couldn’t close. The collapse was compounded by the fact that it marked their fourth straight home loss to Oregon.

Now USC heads to UCLA, where the Bruins have dropped only one home game all season, and that came in double overtime. After that, a top‑ten Nebraska team visits the Galen Center, a matchup that could easily expose the Trojans’ ongoing struggles. USC briefly cracked the top 25 earlier this year, but that version of the team feels distant compared to the one stumbling through February.

The Trojans once had a clear path to make a late surge and secure an NCAA Tournament berth, but this final stretch has looked nothing like a push. Instead, it resembles a marathoner collapsing down the homestretch exhausted, unsteady, and simply trying to crawl across the finish line. What was once an opportunity has become a struggle for survival.