USC men's basketball seems it all come apart on the other side of town

USC has pushed itself well outside the NCAA Tournament bubble after dropping its fourth straight game. The Trojans were overmatched in an 81–62 road loss to UCLA, falling to 18–10 overall and 7–10 in conference play.

At this point, the path to even enter the at‑large conversation is narrow as USC likely needs to win its final three regular‑season games and then make a meaningful run in the conference tournament which would require one win at minimum, but realistically two victories to have any chance of rejoining the bubble picture.

USC's tournament hopes crushed in blowout loss at Pauley Pavilion

USC entered Pauley Pavilion knowing the challenge ahead which was that UCLA has lost only once at home all season, and that came in double overtime. The Trojans managed to hang around for much of the night, but they were never in position to truly swing the momentum. A 35% shooting performance told the story, as USC struggled to sustain any rhythm offensively. Chad Baker‑Mazara was the lone bright spot, finishing with 25 points on 50% shooting.

Eric Musselman agreed that the shooting performance was not acceptable and said that the Trojans struggles are catching up to them without a healthy Rodney Rice in the lineup.

"The lack of shooting is really hurting us,” Musselman said. “I haven’t really talked about it in a long time, but not having Rodney Rice’s shooting is killing us. It kills our spacing. It kills our help to the ball.”

For USC, this was always the most likely outcome, and with the loss now official, the Trojans’ postseason outlook has grown even dimmer. Next up is a daunting matchup with No. 15 Nebraska, and USC has struggled all season against top‑tier opponents.

The final stretch doesn’t get any easier, with rematches against Washington and UCLA, both teams that have already beaten the Trojans this season. At this point, an alternative postseason tournament feels far more realistic, while an NCAA Tournament bid is slipping into the realm of wishful thinking.