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The USC Trojans<\/a>‘ slim chances of making the NCAA Tournament just became even thinner.\u00a0<\/p>\n In the second half of the Trojans’ 82-67 home loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers on Saturday, guard Chad Baker-Mazara appeared to exit with an injury. Now, he’s no longer with the team. On Sunday, USC confirmed he has left the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n The reason for his departure remains unclear. USC didn’t offer any explanation when it made the announcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n “We have nothing additional to add at this time,” USC spokesperson Kristen Keller texted Beth Harris<\/a> of the Associated Press.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Saturday’s game, Baker-Mazara appeared to tell Trojans head coach Eric Musselman that he couldn’t re-enter after a hard fall following a block on Cornhuskers forward Pryce Sandfort\u00a0<\/span>(via ESPN’s Jeff Brozello)<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>He then sat near injured junior guard Rodney Rice in an area with fans instead of the bench before leaving the arena.\u00a0<\/p>\n “He said he couldn’t go,” Musselman said of Baker-Mazara (via Borzello). The coach added he had not spoken with the team’s trainer about his status.\u00a0<\/p>\n When asked why Baker-Mazara sat with fans instead of with the team, the coach said there were not enough chairs on the bench. Whatever contributed to the guard’s departure, it’s coming at a bad time for USC.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Trojans (18-11, 7-11 Big Ten) needed a late-season push to re-enter the NCAA Tournament conversation. USC has lost five straight games and is now considered a long shot to make the tournament unless it wins the Big Ten Tournament, which would help it secure an automatic bid. In a story published Sunday, ESPN’s Neil Paine<\/a> reported the Trojans have a 14% chance of clinching an at-large bid in the “Big Dance.”\u00a0<\/p>\n Baker-Mazara, 26, was poised to play a big part during USC’s final two regular-season games and the Big Ten Tournament. He had assumed the No. 1 role on offense since Rice (who averaged 20.3 points per game in six contests this season) suffered a\u00a0season-ending shoulder injury\u00a0<\/a>in December. After 26 games, the guard was logging a team-leading 18.5 PPG. \u00a0<\/p>\n Now that he’s suddenly vanished, it seems USC’s hopes of making March Madness have also evaporated.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhy did Chad Baker-Mazara leave USC?<\/h2>\n
How Chad Baker-Mazara’s exit hurts USC’s NCAA Tournament chances<\/h2>\n