A season full of painfully unfortunate events had led USC to this nightmarish February crescendo. Just a minute earlier, USC seemed assured of escaping Oregon’s grasp with the narrow victory it so desperately needed. A defiant, one-handed slam from sixth-year senior Chad Baker-Mazara added the exclamation point, pushing the Trojans’ lead to two possessions. The crowd at Galen Center allowed itself to exhale.
Yet in the final, breathless minute of an already dizzying afternoon, everything came undone for USC in a stunning, 71-70 loss to Oregon that defied explanation.
Had only one thing gone right for the Trojans in Saturday’s final 70 seconds, their NCAA tournament hopes would have been in much better shape heading into the final four games of the regular season. Instead, USC suddenly found itself staring down the barrel of a second straight March on the outside looking in.
“Our locker room is crushed,” coach Eric Musselman said. “They knew what was at stake. We win this game, we were in a really good spot. You lose this game, you’re in a tough, difficult spot.”
Saturday’s game was lost at the bitter end, in a fashion so unthinkable that USC’s players had a hard time grasping how it actually went down.
“It kind of doesn’t feel real,” senior guard Ryan Cornish said. “Honestly, I can’t really tell you what happened.”
The misfortune started with a missed free throw from forward Jacob Cofie at the 1:10 mark. On the ensuing possession, Oregon guard Kwame Evans drove to the basket, where USC forward Ezra Ausar met him. Ausar, trying not to pick up his fifth foul, put his hands behind his back. The foul was called anyway.
It was one of several calls that Musselman felt strongly about. It also left USC without Ausar, one of its most reliable interior options.
“We didn’t have much respect tonight with the whistle, for sure,” Musselman said. “But it’s on us to play much better so we’re not in that position.”
The game was still there for the taking. Evans actually missed the free throw, but just as Cofie pulled down the rebound, he fell to the floor, turning it over. Evans sank a three-pointer a few seconds later, leaving USC clinging to a one-point lead.
In desperate need of a bucket, Musselman put the ball in the hands of his star freshman.
It’d been an up-and-down day for Alijah Arenas. After shaking off the flu, Arenas didn’t make his first bucket until almost midway through the second half. But the 18-year-old — who finished with 13 points on four-for-13 shooting — found his stride after that.
Now he stood at the top of the key, rocking back and forth, before bursting forward and stepping back for a fadeaway jumper. The shot clanged off the back rim. Kam Woods missed a tip-in try. Oregon grabbed the rebound and called time out.
With just 12 seconds remaining, Oregon threw the ball into its star big man, Nate Bittle, down low. Cofie lost his footing on defense, and Baker-Mazara fouled. Oregon, unbelievably, took the lead at the line, having scored seven points in 49 seconds.
There was still time left for USC. But its final possession ended fittingly. USC put the ball in Arenas’ hands again, only for the freshman to drive into traffic and give it away, ending the game.
It was a devastating way to finish an afternoon that could’ve injected hope into the Trojans’ final two weeks of the regular season. Baker-Mazara, who led the team in scoring before suffering a minor knee sprain, put up 21 points in his return to lead all scorers.
At one point, after opening the game on a stationary bike, Baker-Mazara checked in to immediately score 13 in a row.
On any other night, that probably would’ve been the story. Instead, Musselman and his Trojans (18-9, 7-9 Big Ten) were left again wondering how their worst-case scenarios just keep coming true.
“I’ve never had a season like this,” Musselman said. “But somehow we’ve got to regroup.”
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