Usc Basketball Faces Washington in Big Ten Second Round as Trojans Lose Leading Scorer
usc basketball will meet Washington in the Big Ten Tournament second round on Wednesday, with the Trojans arriving without their leading scorer after he left the last game following a hard foul. The timing matters because USC’s offensive and disciplinary questions intersect with a five-game losing streak that has shifted expectations ahead of the matchup.
Usc Basketball scoring void after Chad Baker-Mazara exit
USC’s 26-year-old leading scorer, Chad Baker-Mazara, is no longer with the program after leaving the team’s most recent game following a hard foul; it remains unclear whether his departure was a dismissal tied to specific behavior. Baker-Mazara had transferred from Auburn and had been the Trojans’ top scorer. His absence removes the team’s primary offensive option and creates a tangible gap in the rotation — a cause that helps explain part of USC’s recent decline in results.
Washington matchup and betting lines
The game is set for Wednesday, with USC arriving as a 6. 5-point underdog and the total posted at 150. 5 points at DraftKings. The Trojans have lost five straight games and gone 1-5 against the spread over their last six, the lone cover coming by a half-point. Those numbers have influenced betting moves: Doug Kezirian made Washington his pick at -5. 5 and highlighted the Trojans’ recent struggles as a reason for backing the Huskies.
Statistical weaknesses underline the betting market’s stance. USC ranks dead last in the Big Ten in turnovers per game and sits among the conference’s worst teams in both field-goal and 3-point percentage. Those ball-security and shooting problems translate directly into fewer scoring opportunities and more transition chances for opponents — a clear cause-and-effect pathway that has pressured the Trojans in close games.
Washington’s recent form and past meeting at USC
Washington has been playing relatively well, winning and covering the spread in roughly half of its games over the past two months. The Huskies also beat USC outright at the Trojan campus in early December when they were 4. 5-point underdogs, a prior outcome that has relevance for line-makers and bettors this week.
Put together, the combination of USC’s turnover rate, poor shooting and the sudden loss of their leading scorer has contributed to the team’s five-game skid and the market favoring the Huskies in the second-round matchup. What makes this notable is how a single personnel change—removal of the team’s top scorer—intersects with existing performance issues to compound the Trojans’ vulnerabilities on both ends of the floor.
The immediate consequence will be how USC redistributes shot attempts and ball-handling responsibilities on short notice; the broader implication is that this game will test whether the Trojans can stabilize their offense and limit careless possessions under tournament pressure. With the line at 6. 5 and public handicaps pointing toward Washington, the contest in the Big Ten Tournament second round has become a focal point for bettors and observers tracking whether USC can halt the slide without its leading scorer.
