It was never going to be easy for men’s basketball to come out of Columbus, Ohio, on Wednesday night with a win. 

The Trojans’ leading scorer, graduate guard Chad Baker-Mazara, missed his second straight game due to a knee injury; star freshman guard Alijah Arenas struggled from the field all night; senior forward Ezra Ausar fouled out of the game with more than four minutes remaining; and, to make matters worse, technical issues with the Schottenstein Center shot clock frequently interrupted the game in the second half.

And yet, after an Arenas 3-pointer with one minute left in the game, USC (18-7, 7-7 Big Ten) found itself down by a single point against Ohio State (16-8, 8-6) at 82-81. The Trojans had answered a Buckeye 10-2 run with a 10-2 run of their own, storming back from what seemed like a can’t-win scenario and putting themselves in prime position for a crucial NCAA Tournament resume boost.

However, all good things must come to an end — and in USC’s case, the end came just a minute too soon. A combination of fouls, turnovers and missed shots dashed the Trojans’ hopes of stealing a win over the Buckeyes, who sent them packing with an 89-82 defeat.

The loss ended USC’s three-game winning streak — its longest in Big Ten play since joining the conference last season — and dealt a significant blow to its postseason chances. With a difficult slate of games to end the regular season, including bouts with conference heavyweights No. 8 Illinois (20-5, 11-3) and No. 7 Nebraska (21-3, 10-3), the Trojans need every win they can get down the stretch.

A tale of two halves

Both squads saw vastly different results from the field in each half — for better or for worse. USC shot nearly 52% in the first half but plummeted to 34% in the second; meanwhile, the Buckeyes shot 42% overall and an abysmal 15% from deep in the first half, marks that improved to 60% and 56%, respectively, in the final 20 minutes.

That disparity in efficiency allowed for a 13-point swing between the two halves, as the Trojans led 43-40 to start the game but trailed 49-39 in the second half.

No player better exemplified halftime’s debilitating impact than Ausar, who shot 3-for-5 with 11 points in the first half but made just 1-of-6 attempts for 2 points in the second. Ausar also committed four of his five fouls in the second half, bouncing him from the match when USC needed him most. Despite his late-game shooting woes, he still led the team with nine rebounds and a season-high four steals.

Sophomore forward Jacob Cofie faced similar struggles, as his clips of 4-for-5 overall and 2-for-3 from 3 dipped to 1-for-4 and 0-for-1 in the second half, respectively.

On the other hand, junior guard Jordan Marsh seemed to be the only Trojan who thrived post-halftime: After going scoreless in just five minutes played in the first half, Marsh ignited for a 13-point performance in the second, attempting in vain to will USC to victory.

Marsh represented the Trojans’ lone source of production off the bench, as Head Coach Eric Musselman opted to stick with four of his five starters — Ausar, Cofie, Arenas and graduate guard Kam Woods — for nearly the entire game. Junior center Gabe Dynes, who started in Baker-Mazara’s absence, was the lone exception, switching out with Marsh and graduate forward Terrance Williams II throughout the night.

Arenas, Woods run up the scoreboard

Since breaking out for 33 points in a Jan. 28 loss to Iowa (18-6, 8-5), Woods has been a staple of the starting lineup, spending just six total minutes on the bench across USC’s last five games. The midseason acquisition continued to prove himself as a legitimate threat on the court, scoring 14 points on 6-for-13 shooting while picking up six rebounds and three assists.

Woods’ point total was bested only by Arenas, who recorded his third-straight 20-piece despite continuing to struggle with efficiency. Arenas made just 6-of-19 shots from the floor — his worst mark since his second career game against Wisconsin (17-7, 9-4) — but still managed to put up 25 points after draining a career-high 12 free throws.

Arenas has begun to emerge as the star Musselman expected from his five-star recruit before he missed the first half of the season due to a knee injury; however, USC will need more of his shots to start falling before he can truly carry the offense, especially with junior guard Rodney Rice out for the season and Baker-Mazara’s return timeline uncertain.

Aside from their players’ futures, the Trojans’ future as a team is uncertain as well. Before Wednesday’s game, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi projected USC as a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament, making it one of the last few at-large teams in the field; a loss to Ohio State, which finds itself in a similar situation, will likely put the Trojans right on the edge of the bubble.

With just six matchups left on the schedule before the Big Ten Tournament, every game is an opportunity for USC to prove itself worthy of a precious March Madness bid — and the Trojans will get a massive opportunity when they host Illinois on Wednesday at 7 p.m.