Daily Trojan Sports

The first-year Trojan guard left Saturday's loss to Nebraska early in the second half with an apparent injury, though no update was provided by Head Coach Eric Musselman after the game. “He said he couldn't go,” Musselman said postgame.

After significant injuries hit most of USC's stars, including junior guard Rodney Rice, senior forward Amarion Dickerson and freshman guard Alijah Arenas, Baker-Mazara was tasked with doing it all as USC made a push for the NCAA Tournament.

BREAKING: Star graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of the USC men's basketball team, the team announced Sunday. The reason for Baker-Mazara's departure was not immediately clear.

"As a Hall of Fame coach, who is one of the game's most highly regarded defensive minds, he brings a wealth of success and experience to our program,” Riley said in the release. “His impact will be immediate, elevating our defense and strengthening the culture we've built.”

Patterson, who most recently spent one year as a senior-level strategist at Baylor in 2024, led TCU to six conference championships, 17 bowl appearances and a 181-79 overall record from 2001-2021. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on his first ballot Jan. 14.

BREAKING: College Football Hall of Fame coach Gary Patterson will be USC football’s next defensive coordinator, Head Coach Lincoln Riley announced Friday. Patterson is best known as the winningest coach in TCU history, where he spent 24 seasons, 21 as head coach.

The Trojans now lead 22-8 midway through the first half.

USC has been on a 9-0 run over the last three minutes of play and has completely assumed control of this game and the crowd. While the crowd was all Purdue to begin the game, a steal from Baker-Mazara that resulted in a fast-break slam silenced the visiting crowd.

Baker-Mazara is notably missing from the starting unit despite not being listed on the Big Ten’s Availability Report before the game. It is unclear whether he will be available in a limited capacity Saturday.

Senior forward Ezra Ausar and sophomore forward Jacob Cofie will make their team-leading 18th starts. Graduate guard Ryan Cornish, graduate guard Kam Woods and junior center Gabe Dynes round out the rest of the starting five.

Musselman will roll out the same starting lineup that played in Tuesday’s win against Maryland. G Kam Woods G Ryan Cornish F Jacob Cofie F Ezra Ausar C Gabe Dynes

Arenas is projected to debut for the Trojans later this month, Dickerson may return by the end of the season but that won’t be anytime soon and Rice was officially ruled out for the season by Head Coach Eric Musselman in January.

Freshman guard Alijah Arenas, junior guard Rodney Rice and senior forward Amarion Dickerson were all listed as out on the injury report.

Graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara was not listed on the Big Ten’s Availability Report before the game, meaning he will likely be available for the Trojans as a much-needed offensive sparkplug against a 16-1 Purdue team.

The Daily Trojan is live at Galen Center, covering USC men's basketball's game against No. 5 Purdue. Follow along for live updates here or on our website. dailytrojan.com/2026/01/17/usc…

“The rivalry between our two schools is one of the best in all of sport[s], and we look forward to meeting again in the future," the statement continued.

“USC and Notre Dame recognize how special our rivalry is to our fans, our teams, and college football, and our institutions will continue working towards bringing back The Battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh,” the joint statement read.

After facing off nearly every year over the last century, USC and Notre Dame football will not play their rivalry game in 2026, according to a joint statement released by both schools Monday morning.