This March could be maddening for USC hoops
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Welcome back to the Times of Troy newsletter, where the madness of March is officially upon us. Though, it’s hard to say yet for USC if it’s the good kind or not.
So far, it doesn’t look very promising. Both Trojans basketball teams enter the postseason with concerning losing streaks in tow. The men have lost five in a row. The women have lost three. Can either really make much noise this March?
Let’s start with the Women of Troy, who certainly could have unraveled this season without superstar JuJu Watkins. We can now definitively say that they didn’t, even if it wasn’t always aesthetically pleasing. And that’s a credit to coach Lindsay Gottlieb and her staff.
Instead of a lost season, USC played one of the hardest schedules in college basketball and still won 17 games. It still cobbled together one of the better defenses in the Big Ten, even in spite of a suspect frontcourt. It still found another star-in-the-making in Jazzy Davidson, whose development this year will pay dividends down the line.
And Gottlieb will tell you there’s still “one more level that we can get to.”
“We’ve got a lot still to do,” she said. “I’ve said it all year, there are a couple teams that are really elite. Then there’s a whole bunch of other teams that are kind of not in that group, but they’re in another group where anyone can beat anyone.”
USC is definitely in that second group. The problem is what happens when it’s matched up against anyone from that first group. Barring the Trojans running the table in the Big Ten tournament, it’s likely they end up somewhere between a No. 7 and No. 10 seed. That means facing one of those “really elite” teams that Gottlieb is talking about in the second round.
And USC, as it showed Sunday, doesn’t quite have what it takes to keep up with a team such as UCLA — or Connecticut, South Carolina or Texas, who are all likely to earn No. 1 seeds. The next crop of teams, according to the latest top 16 reveal — Vanderbilt, Iowa, Louisiana State and Michigan — would be a stiff test too.
USC did just beat the Hawkeyes last month. But that was at Galen Center and perhaps its best performance of the season. In seven other matchups against teams ranked in that top 16, USC didn’t manage another win. Instead, it lost by an average of 16 points.
That feels likely to be the case come tournament time too. Considering where USC could have been this season, it certainly could be worse …
Which brings us to the USC men.
A frustrating season only got more bleak Sunday, when USC announced that its leading scorer, Chad Baker-Mazara, was no longer with the team.
The news itself didn’t necessarily shock me. Baker-Mazara had come to USC with a reputation for being volatile. He’d been to five schools in six years. Even coach Eric Musselman admitted when he first arrived that he might have “a little more on my plate” guiding Baker-Mazara, who would prove him right over the course of the season.
What I didn’t expect was for something to happen with just two games left in the regular season. Now the Trojans enter March without their leading scorer, best free-throw shooter and top three-point shooter.
That’s going to be difficult to overcome. But as dark as the last two weeks have felt for the Trojans, they’re really not far off from the edge of the NCAA tournament bubble. Wins in each of their last two, plus a win or two in the Big Ten tournament, would presumably push them into the field. Even two wins in their next three tries would make things interesting.
But that’s not a bet I would take. Not after how lost the Trojans have looked over these past five games. Not after their top scorer was asked to leave in the final week of the season. And not with their talented top freshman still figuring things out.
I still believe in what Musselman is building. Just like I believe in what Gottlieb has already built. But both are going to be hard-pressed to deliver on those expectations this March.
Three questions for USC spring football
USC opens spring football Tuesday with a ton of young, new faces taking the field and a do-or-die season ahead.
We’ve got a ton of questions, most of which won’t be answered definitively until the fall. But here are three to ponder while spring practice rolls on.
1. Which young pass-catcher will make the most memorable first impression?
USC must replace its top two receivers next season, and that’s no small task when you consider how critical Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane were to the offense in 2025. Rising sophomore Tanook Hines steps in as the No. 1, but there are a ton of candidates to slot into the Nos. 3-5 spots.
Transfer Terrell Anderson will likely start as the No. 2 target. But I’ll be watching tight end Mark Bowman, slot receiver Trent Mosley and outside receivers Kayden Dixon-Wyatt and Ethan Feaster very closely. All four could contribute right away.
2. Will USC’s offensive line be reshuffled heading into next season?
For the first time in what feels like forever, USC has some depth up front. That’s a great problem to have, and considering how young some of that depth is right now, the future certainly looks bright there.
But what about now? I’ll be especially curious to see how much USC works Tobias Raymond at center and whether freshman Keenyi Pepe could make an impact right away.
3. Could the secondary take a huge step forward?
Cornerbacks coach Trovon Reed wasn’t mincing words when he said new cornerback Jontez Williams was the best player available in the transfer portal. If he can be a true shutdown corner, USC’s defensive backfield could look a lot different in 2026.
The other starting spot at cornerback is wide open, while safeties Alex Graham and Kennedy Urlacher will have a lot on their plate this spring.
Extra points
—USC baseball is off to its best start since 2015. The Trojans are 11-0, one of just four college baseball teams still undefeated to open the season. And they have their extraordinary pitching staff, primarily, to thank for that. USC’s microscopic 1.23 team ERA is the best in the nation at the start of March. Mason Edwards, the Trojans’ top starter, has given up just one hit and racked up 31 strikeouts through his first 55 batters faced this season. Grant Govel, the Trojans’ No. 2, isn’t far behind. He’s got a 0.47 ERA and has given up just five hits across 62 batters. There’s no reason either to think USC can’t keep this up, at least in some capacity: None of their next four opponents were picked to finish in the top half of the league. The Trojans’ next serious challenge? No. 1 UCLA looms at the start of April.
—Ja’Kobi Lane’s stock is rising after his combine workout. Lane measured 6 foot 4, 200 pounds, ran a 4.47 40-yard dash and recorded a 40-inch vertical. But it was his performance in the gauntlet drill, which asks pass-catchers to sprint across the field while catching rapid-fire passes coming from different directions in stride, that seemed to impress most. Lane practically glided across the field, while catching everything thrown his way. There are still aspects to his game that will be further scrutinized by NFL staffs, and I’m sure there are a few teams who will find that Lane is not their cup of tea. But the physical tools have always been there, and those alone should see him selected on Day 2.
—Makai Lemon’s combine interview went viral. That intensity you saw from Lemon as he answered questions in Indianapolis, I can tell you with utmost certainty that that’s genuinely him. The thought that it would be perceived as a negative, as some have speculated since the combine, is just another example of the dumb narratives that emerge every year out of Indianapolis.
—JuJu Watkins’ triumphant return will take place in Las Vegas. USC will open next season against Nevada Las Vegas, with all eyes on Watkins. She won’t be the only one making an anticipated debut — Saniyah Hall and Sitaya Fagan will also be a part of USC’s lineup by then. It could be our first look at one of the most talented Trojans teams ever. And while it’s cool it’ll be televised on TNT, it’s also a shame it can’t be at Galen Center, where they could use some more eyeballs.
Olympic sports spotlight
USC’s first women’s lacrosse season as a member of the Big Ten last season didn’t necessarily go as planned as the Trojans won just three of their eight conference games.
USC won’t start its 2026 Big Ten slate until March 12, and the conference looks especially strong this season, with four teams ranked in the top six.
But the Trojans are just outside of the top 25 at the start of March, sitting at 4-2. Despite losing their top two scorers from a year ago, they’ve spread the scoring wealth so far this season, with six players scoring at least a goal per game. New starting attackers Reese Robinson, a transfer from Rutgers, and sophomore Kaylee Fravert have combined for 18 goals so far. They’ll need to keep it up once the schedule gets tougher.
What I’m Eating This Week
Fancy birthday dinners are a staple in the Kartje household, and so last week, to celebrate my 37th — gulp — trip around the sun, my wife and I got a babysitter and went downtown for dinner at Camelia.
Camelia describes itself as a French and Japanese bistro. It’s a unique collaboration I didn’t know that I needed until that first bite of chicken liver mousse melted in my mouth. We went on to devour the Peking duck and soaked up every last bit of snail butter from the bottom of our abalone and scallop pot pie.
It was a delightful birthday dinner. So much so that I felt it was my duty to inform you in this space. Do yourself a favor and get a reservation if you can.
In case you missed it
Keep fighting on: USC shows Lindsay Gottlieb something ‘special’ in loss to UCLA
Chad Baker-Mazara, USC’s leading scorer, dismissed from men’s basketball team
USC men routed by Nebraska after building halftime lead
Penn State rallies to defeat USC women, despite Kara Dunn’s 24 points
USC men’s basketball left to wonder what could have been after humbling loss at UCLA
10 more notes, quotes and things to know ahead of USC spring football
Until next time ...
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at ryan.kartje@latimes.com, and follow me on X at @Ryan_Kartje. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
