USC Basketball's Mid-Season Crisis

0:00On March 1, USC men's basketball is hitting rock bottom after a rough weekend. The Trojans fell at home to number 14 Nebraska by a score of 82-67 on Saturday, marking their fifth straight loss. Now sitting at 18 wins and 11 losses, they're sliding out of NCAA tournament picture. To make matters worse, the school announced that 26-year-old grad student Chad Baker-Mazzara is no longer with the program. Earlier this week against the Brasca, Baker-Mazzara tried to block a shot with 17 minutes left in the second half, took a fall and never returned. To the game, he later watched from the baseline instead of joining his teammates on the bench. The team hasn't shared more details on why he left, despite questions from reporters. Baker-Mazzara had been a key piece, averaging 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. He transferred in last spring from Auburn, where he played a big role on a number one seed team. Fans and analysts see this as a rare mid-season exit for such a high producer.

1:03The move leaves USC without its top two scores from last year's transfers. Rodney Rice, who averaged 20.3 points, has been out since mid-December with a shoulder injury. After a hot start with 12 wins and one loss, including the Maui Invitational title, they've gone just six and ten since then. That puts them on the bubble, but listed as one of the next four, out in recent bracket projections. They'll finish the regular season at Washington on Wednesday, before hosting rival UCLA on Saturday. But their march madness hopes are fading fast.