A trip to Maui was the final bargaining chip the USC men’s basketball team needed to get Chad Baker-Mazara to commit to their program.
“When Coach told me that we were going to Maui, I literally asked (head coach Eric Musselman and assistant coach Anthony Ruta), has anybody won it back-to-back? And he told me no, and I actually did commit right there,” Baker-Mazara told reporters.
The decision is starting to pay off for the 6-foot-7 forward and Auburn transfer, who is now the first player to win back-to-back Southwest Maui Invitational tournaments. He was named the tournament MVP after helping the Trojans (7-0) beat Boise State, Seton Hall and Arizona State.
The accomplishments have the team riding a season-opening 7-game winning streak as they begin Big Ten Conference play at Oregon (4-3) on Tuesday.
It could be the first step in turning around last season’s 14th-place finish in the Big Ten standings and second-round exit from the conference tournament.
All three of USC’s wins in Maui were one-possession games, and the Trojans won their first two by three points or less. They won the latter two games without 6-foot-5 guard Rodney Rice, who left the semifinal game with a shoulder injury.
Rice also missed the Trojans’ two exhibition games in October due to his shoulder. It’s been the second-most-significant injury this season after promising true freshman Alijah Arenas’ torn meniscus.
“Our first two preseason games, we actually didn’t have Rodney so we already played a couple games without him,” Baker-Mazara said after the tournament win. “And coach just grabbed me and said, I’mma need you to step it up with a little bit more. And not just me. He told everybody. It wasn’t just me who went out there.”
Six-foot-10 forward Jaden Brownell scored a season-best 16 points against Arizona State in the championship game, showing the depth that USC is creating this season.
Forward Ezra Ausar’s 69.6% field goal percentage leads the Big Ten and is sixth in the NCAA, while forward Jacob Cofie is fourth in the conference and 19th nationally with 2.43 blocks per game.
Rice and Baker-Mazara are both averaging 20.3 points per game.
“We’re building confidence,” head coach Eric Musselman said. “Regardless of who’s playing. I mean, when this roster was built, Alijah Arenas and Rodney Rice were our two go-to players and our two point guards. And so just the ability to make adjustments amongst the players has been very, very impressive.”
Oregon is on a three-game losing streak after a winless performance in the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas. The Ducks lost to No. 21 Auburn, San Diego State and Creighton.
Turnovers were an issue in all three games, and two injuries further derailed Oregon’s trip to Vegas.
Center Nate Bittle, the Ducks’ leading scorer and rebounder, left the San Diego State game due to an ankle injury and did not return for the final game. Forward Devon Pryor also exited the tournament early after a groin injury in the Creighton game.
If Bittle isn’t cleared to play by Tuesday, 6-foot-1 guard Jackson Shelstad will take the floor as Oregon’s leading scorer at 15.7 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game. The Ducks’ main 3-point threat will be Takai Simpkins, who has hit 16 of 43 attempts.
USC has back-to-back Big Ten games against Oregon and Washington before taking a break from conference play with four non-conference opponents: San Diego, Washington State, UTSA and Brown.
USC (7-0) at OREGON (4-3)
When: 7 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Matt Knight Arena, Eugene, Oregon
TV/radio: FS1/ESPN LA 710