USC Men's Basketball remain undefeated opening up Big Ten play with win over Oregon

EUGENE, OR -- The USC Men's Basketball squad has some juice to them to begin their 2025-2026 campaign.

After winning their first Maui Invitational and later being ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time under Head Coach Eric Musselman, the Trojans quickly went back to work a day later as they opened up Big Ten play against the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. USC did not flutter on the road as Chad Baker-Mazara had a game-high 25 points en route to a Trojans 82-77 victory.

The Trojans had a rough start to their first half, as they committed 7 early turnovers that the Ducks took sole advantage of, going on a 7-0 run, and USC found itself in an early 17-10 hole. USC would respond mightily by going on a 14-3 run to end the first half and end the first all squared up with Oregon, 39-39.

A few injuries would take hold in the first half as Rodney Rice would not play this game due to a lingering shoulder injury, but he is expected to return at some point in the season. Amarion Dickerson would succumb to the injury bug in the first half, as he landed on his hip and would leave for the remainder of the game.

Despite the injuries seemingly plaguing the Trojans, they still managed to put away the Ducks with high intensity, grabbing offensive rebounds and pressuring Oregon's offensive plays.

Sophomore forward Jacob Cofie would lead the Trojans on offense with 16 first-half points on 6-9 shooting and shooting 2-3 from three-ball range. Baker-Mazara was behind Cofie with 12 first-half points on 5-9 shooting and 3 rebounds.

Ezra Ausar would make his presence felt as the last 20-minute quarter started, as he would notch 13 points in the half alone on 4-9 shooting and snagged 9 boards. Jerry Easter and Jaden Brownell each scored 11 points to their credit and notched a combined 10 rebounds.

Baker-Mazara would put the Ducks away with a dagger of a three in the final handful of minutes remaining in the game and maintains USC's perfect 8-0 start their season. USC will travel back home this weekend as they host Washington back at the Galen Center for their second straight Big Ten game.