With 70 seconds left in Saturday’s matchup with Oregon, sophomore forward Jacob Cofie made his second free throw, increasing the Trojans’ lead to 6. After a back-and-forth battle that saw momentum swing and the lead change every few minutes, USC was looking to finally close out the game and prevent a disastrous loss against one of the Big Ten’s weakest teams.

However, after senior forward Ezra Ausar committed his fifth foul, knocking him out of the game, and the Trojans missed several key shots, their lead shrank to just 1. When Oregon got the ball back, they put it in their best player’s hands: senior center Nate Bittle, who was quickly fouled on the shot by graduate forward Chad Baker-Mazara. Fifth foul in hand, Baker-Mazara exited the court, shaking his head in disbelief.

Bittle knocked down both free throws, putting the Ducks up by 1 point and leaving USC with 10 seconds left to win the game. But as freshman guard Alijah Arenas drove past half court, looking to repeat his heroics from a Feb. 11 win over Penn State (11-17, 2-15 Big Ten), he was immediately double-teamed and turned the ball over, ending the Trojans’ chances of winning — and potentially their chances of playing in the NCAA Tournament.

Oregon’s (10-17, 3-13) 71-70 win helped the bottom-feeding Ducks record their third conference win, while USC (18-9, 7-9) notched its third straight, but by far most heartbreaking, loss.

“It wasn’t meant to be for us tonight,” Head Coach Eric Musselman said in a postgame news conference. “It’s a crushing loss.”

With just four regular-season games left  — including two against crosstown rival UCLA (18-9, 10-6) and one against No. 9 Nebraska (23-4, 12-4) — Musselman’s squad has little room for error if they want to earn a spot in March Madness.

Before Saturday’s loss, USC was projected to be the last at-large team in the NCAA Tournament, according to ESPN’s Bracketology. Now, the Trojans will likely be out of the picture after losing to an Oregon team that has struggled all season. Even one loss in USC’s next four games would all but end its tournament hopes.

“I don’t know what to say,” Musselman said. “I’ve never had a season like this.”

Baker-Mazara’s hot night halted early by fouls

As USC rolled out its 13th different starting lineup in 27 games this season, Baker-Mazara initially remained absent but entered the game after four minutes, bringing loud cheers from the Trojan faithful in attendance.

Despite fouling out for the second time this season, Baker-Mazara made an immediate impact in his return from injury, scoring a game-high 21 points in just under 23 minutes.

“He’s super important to us from an offensive standpoint,” Musselman said of Baker-Mazara. “[But], his foul trouble managed his minutes.”

Before Saturday, Baker-Mazara missed three straight games with a knee strain, adding to the plethora of injuries the Trojans have encountered this season. With a potential return to the starting lineup against UCLA, Baker-Mazara may be able to rejuvenate the squad’s offense — and provide his teammates with some motivation.

“In one of our huddles today, Chad mentioned, ‘We’re playing basketball and playing the game that we love,’” graduate guard Ryan Cornish said in a postgame news conference. “We just gotta put our heads down and grind.”

Defense ramping up down the stretch

One of the bright spots in the game was USC’s defensive effort: The Trojans recorded 11 steals and eight blocks in total, with four players notching multiple steals for the second time in three games.

That effort was led by Cofie, who continued to stake his claim as USC’s best defensive player, blocking a career-high five shots while adding three steals and eight rebounds. Cofie now sits at 1.7 blocks per game, placing him fifth in the Big Ten.

“I thought he did a great job with his interior defense,” Musselman said of Cofie. “He’s a vital piece for us [and] keeps getting better as a young player.”

On the opposite end of the spectrum, Ausar’s five fouls marked his seventh time fouling out this season and the fourth time in the past seven games. However, it was Ausar’s own time at the charity stripe that might have been the worst part of his game Saturday.

After being fouled on back-to-back plays midway through the second half, Ausar went to the line to shoot two critical pairs of free throws, but missed all four. He ended the night shooting 3-for-8 from the line, though he managed to rack up 15 points and 11 rebounds for his second straight game with a double-double.

As the Trojans recoup and prepare for their battle in Westwood, the Bruins will be fresh off a stunning 95-94 overtime win against No. 10 Illinois (22-6, 13-4) on Saturday night, substantially boosting their chances of a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

A win would prove vital for both teams, and the timing of their first of two rivalry matches could not be more perfect. UCLA will take on USC on Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Pauley Pavilion as the Trojans’ playoff hopes hang on a very thin thread.

“[We’ll] figure out what we have to do to make the tournament,” Cornish said. “That’s our only goal. … We’re going to give it our everything.”