"The Trojans had no shortage of chances to fend off the end. They had a 13-point lead in the second half. They had the ball at the end of regulation. And they had a chance to win it in overtime and another chance to tie it. They missed all three pivotal shots - the first two by Kam Woods, the last by Jordan Marsh - to conclude a second straight disappointing season with an eighth straight loss."
"Winners of the Maui Invitational, USC was 18-6 and above .500 in the Big Ten in after a Feb. 8 win at Penn State, solidly in contention for an NCAA tournament bid. But after Arenas missed the first half of the season, the Trojans lost Rodney Rice and Amarion Dickerson to injuries, and the spiral was well under way when Baker-Mazara was dismissed."
USC's basketball program collapsed in the Big Ten tournament, losing 83-79 in overtime to Washington despite holding a 13-point second-half lead. The Trojans squandered multiple opportunities to win, missing crucial shots in regulation and overtime. This loss concluded a devastating stretch that included leading scorer Chad Baker-Mazara's dismissal from the team, two 19-point losses to UCLA, and injuries to key players Rodney Rice and Amarion Dickerson. Despite starting strong at 18-6 and above .500 in Big Ten play after a February 8 victory, USC's season unraveled, marking a second consecutive disappointing year for the program.
#usc-basketball #big-ten-tournament #season-collapse #injuries-and-roster-issues #ncaa-tournament-implications
Read at Los Angeles Times
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