Chad Baker-Mazara Injury Update: USC Star Leaves Program After Re-Aggravating Knee Against Nebraska

The Chad Baker-Mazara injury update confirmed on Sunday, March 1, 2026 is as definitive as it gets: Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of the USC men's basketball team, the school announced Sunday. The departure came hours after Baker-Mazara re-aggravated an injury to his knee early in the second half of USC's loss to Nebraska, exiting when he went up to block a shot and not returning.

A person familiar with the situation said Baker-Mazara left the team after an accumulation of issues, rather than any individual event. No specific medical timeline, diagnosis, or further statement from the player has been issued as of Monday ET.

Knee Injury History That Led to Baker-Mazara's Exit From USC Basketball

The Nebraska game was not the first time the knee became a problem. Baker-Mazara suffered an initial knee injury during USC's win over Indiana in early February, limping to the locker room unable to put weight on his right knee. An MRI confirmed a grade 1 knee strain, and he was listed as day-to-day.

He then went down again with a non-contact leg injury during the second half of the UCLA loss, returning but clearly limited and favoring his right side. The Nebraska game marked the third recurrence — this time without a return to the floor, and without a return to the program.

Baker-Mazara finished his final game with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting, going 4-of-4 from the free-throw line and 2-of-6 from three in 19 minutes of play.

What Baker-Mazara's Departure Means for USC's NCAA Tournament Hopes

Baker-Mazara had been the offensive standout for an injury-plagued Trojan lineup, leading USC with 18.6 points per game on a team-high 30 minutes per game, while also averaging 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He was the program's primary scoring engine after Rodney Rice was lost for the season earlier this year.

USC fell to 18-11 with the Nebraska loss, and the Trojans' postseason aspirations are slowly fading. Two regular-season games remain, followed by the Big Ten Tournament — now the only realistic path to March Madness without their leading scorer.

Freshman Alijah Arenas, who scored 29 points in the win over Indiana in February, is expected to absorb the bulk of Baker-Mazara's offensive load. Whether Arenas can sustain that output through a conference tournament run is the central question facing coach Eric Musselman.