USC men’s basketball and Wisconsin entered Sunday’s contest with varying degrees of momentum. The Trojans, reeling from consecutive losses to No. 5 Purdue and a downtrodden Northwestern, seemed to be suffering from a midseason downturn. 

The Badgers (14-6, 6-3 Big Ten), on the other hand, arrived riding a five-game win streak, including a signature upset of the then-No. 2 Michigan Wolverines (19-1, 9-1). 

However, after a back-and-forth affair with 10 lead changes, the Trojans (15-5, 4-5) emerged from Madison, Wisconsin with a 73-71 win over the Badgers — a critical boost for a squad that has struggled in Big Ten play as it vies for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

“Quality win on the road against a team that was the hottest team in the Big Ten,” Head Coach Eric Musselman said in a postgame news conference. “We had a gutty performance by so many different people.”

Boyd, Baker-Mazara battle it out

USC dictated tempo out of the gate, hiking a 10-point lead just over 10 minutes in — mostly thanks to graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara, who seemed to always find the ball when the Trojans were on offense. His 29 points, including five 3-pointers, were crucial to the Trojans’ vital road victory. 

Though Wisconsin sputtered at first, its offensive trio — senior guard Nick Boyd, junior forward Nolan Winter and junior guard John Blackwell — worked together to erode the deficit.

Heading into the half, two field goals from Boyd and a Boyd-assisted trey by sophomore forward Austin Rapp moved the Badgers out front for the first time since five minutes in, 41-39, giving them a 2-point lead — and momentum. 

Boyd proved troublesome for the Trojans’ defense, shooting 10-for-17 from the field in a 29-point showing. Winter and Blackwell each posted double digits as well, at 12 and 11, respectively. 

However, Boyd’s strong performance was rivaled by that of Baker-Mazara, who was the crux of USC’s late-game surge. 

“Chad looked like an All-American tonight,” Musselman said bluntly.

Trojans bounce back from rough stretch

Baker-Mazara’s effort wasn’t unassisted, though. Senior forward Ezra Ausar posted 17 points, draining an impressive 5-of-8 from the floor. Sophomore forward Jacob Cofie also got in on the action, securing a team-high 11 rebounds, making him the first USC player since Isaiah Mobley in 2021-22 to bring in 10 or more rebounds in three consecutive games. 

“Jacob on the boards has been absolutely phenomenal,” Musselman said. “His effort to go pursue balls has been phenomenal.” 

Freshman guard Alijah Arenas notched 7 points, while freshman guard Jerry Easter II managed 4 points and four rebounds off the bench. In total, USC shot 41% from the floor, compared to Wisconsin’s 34% clip. 

With 12 minutes remaining in the second half, Wisconsin senior guard Braeden Carrington landed a 27-foot 3-point jumper to extend the Badgers’ lead to 12. At this point, it seemed as though USC’s upset bid had been lulled to a stop: Despite nursing a lead for most of the first half, a 17-2 Wisconsin scoring run had put the Trojans on the ropes. 

In a gritty team display, USC initiated a 16-2 run of its own, punctuated by consecutive field goals to reclaim the lead at 62-60. Later, Ausar’s tip-in layup broke a 65-all tie, giving USC an advantage it wouldn’t concede. 

“Ezra, he’s really banged up. He grinded through a game where many players wouldn’t have played,” Musselman said. “It was super important to get an outstanding effort from him like we did tonight.”

After a 14-foot miss by Arenas, Boyd charged toward the paint for a game-tying layup. However, a finger tip by Easter II weakened Boyd’s attempt, which bounced off the rim and into the hands of Easter II, effectively sealing the game.

Heading into Sunday’s game, USC had committed more fouls than any other Big Ten team; Musselman’s squad played a relatively clean game, though, with just 15 fouls next to the Badgers’ 17. The Trojans also hit 17-of-23 from the line, marking a big step up from an abysmal 17 missed free throws against Northwestern. 

With just six weeks remaining until Selection Sunday, USC finds itself on the NCAA Tournament bubble. According to ESPN’s Joe Lunardi, the Trojans were among the last four teams predicted to score an at-large bid entering the game. Depending on Wisconsin’s performance in the latter half of the regular season, their win in Madison could end up being a Quadrant 1 resume addition.

USC will continue its conference slate against Iowa (14-5, 4-4) on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.