Chad Baker-Mazara Off USC Men's Basketball Team Ahead of Big Ten Tournament

USC basketball will be without a key member of its team heading into postseason play.

The program announced Sunday that veteran guard Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer with the team. The Trojans did not offer a further explanation for Baker-Mazara's exit.

According to Ryan Kartje of the Los Angeles Times, one source said Baker-Mazara's dismissal "wasn't any one incident, but an accumulation of issues."

Baker-Mazara had been putting up the best numbers of his career, averaging 18.5 points per game to lead the Trojans offense.

In his final game with USC, Baker-Mazara exited early in the second half against Nebraska and didn't return. According to 247Sports' Connor Morrissette, Baker-Mazar told Eric Musselman that he couldn't come back in after seemingly re-aggravating a knee injury from earlier this month.

Assuming Baker-Mazara's college basketball career has come to an end, it concludes one of the more interesting collegiate journeys in recent memory.

The 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic began his career with Duquesne before transferring to San Diego State for the 2021-22 season. He then spent one season at Northwest Florida State College before joining Auburn ahead of the 2023-24 season.

Baker-Mazara entered the transfer portal after Auburn's run to the Final Four, with one year of eligibility remaining due to the NCAA's temporary waiver that allowed student-athletes who previously suited up for a non-NCAA school to play a fourth season at an NCAA school. He opted to spend his final season with the Trojans.

Without its leading scorer, USC will have a tall task trying to make the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans are 18-11 with two games remaining and were projected to be one of the first four teams left out of March Madness in the latest Bracketology from ESPN's Joe Lunardi.