USC basketball wins Big Ten opener at Oregon, takes big step forward

Is Eric Musselman putting all the pieces together at USC basketball? We're not sure, but this certainly rates as progress in Year 2 of his tenure in Los Angeles. The Trojans went into Eugene and defeated the Oregon Ducks 82-77 in their Big Ten season opener. USC won the first true road game it played this season to move to 8-0. Picking up a road win in the conference offers a significant resume boost for the 2026 NCAA Tournament.

Winning without Rodney Rice

The Trojans' star guard remained out of the lineup after missing the Maui Invitational championship game. USC won that game without Rice against Arizona State. It has now won again without Rice away from home. That's a hugely encouraging sign for this team, finding a way to win without one of its best players away from the Galen Center. This team has cultivated a certain degree of mental toughness. It will need a lot more of it in Big Ten play in January and February.

Chad Baker-Mazara is playing like a star

Chad Baker-Mazara is not an elite offensive player, but he is performing like one now. At Auburn, CBM was an elite two-way player whose defense and toughness augmented his ability to attack the boards and do a little bit of everything for coach Bruce Pearl. Under Eric Musselman at USC -- especially with Rodney Rice hurt -- Baker-Mazara is being asked to get big buckets, and he has been doing that consistently. He did it against Troy in the triple-OT win. He did it in Maui. He did it in Oregon with a series of huge shots down the stretch.

Shooting the lights out

USC went to a place -- Matthew Knight Arena -- where it often struggles and shot 51 percent. Baker-Mazara was 9 of 18. Other starters were able to shoot at or near 50 percent. This is not how it usually works for USC on the road. This team remains better than expected at the offensive end of the floor.

Boardwork

USC outrebounded Oregon by eight boards, 35-27. The effort Eric Musselman expects from his team is showing up. Combined with efficient shooting, USC has a formula which is can be replicated and sustained.

2026 NCAA Tournament outlook

The Trojans are not a shoo-in by any means, but at 8-0, they are building a resume and now have a true road win in conference play. USC has a huge home game this weekend against Washington. If the Trojans win that, they will have a good chance to then win their pre-Christmas nonconference games and go 13-0 heading into January and the teeth of their Big Ten schedule. USC has to load up on every nonconference game so that if the Big Ten (which looks really, really tough this season) chews up the Trojans, they can still get in if they finish four games under .500 in conference play. We see at least one or two teams get into March Madness every year with that kind of profile: perfect in noncon, four under .500 in conference. USC has to get to 13-0 to feel genuinely optimistic about its chances of dancing in March. This game against Washington is massive.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC basketball, Eric Musselman win at Oregon and move to 8-0