USC Men's Basketball Falters Against No. 12 Nebraska

Saturday, February 28

Los Angeles, Calif.

1 p.m.

USC

Nebraska

USC Men's Basketball Falters Against No. 12 Nebraska

February 28, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Box Score (PDF)Highlights

A big second half from the Huskers handed the Trojans the 82-67 loss.

LOS ANGELES — USC Men's Basketball (18-11, 7-11 Big Ten) started strong, but the No. 12 Nebraska Cornhuskers (25-4, 14-4 Big Ten) flipped the script in the second half to hand the Trojans an 82-67 loss in the Galen Center on Saturday, Feb. 28

Describing a game as a tale of two halves has been done often, but the phrase could not be truer for the Trojans. USC shot 52% in the first half and led by as many as seven points thanks to forcing a slew of turnovers late in the half. After leading 36-31 at the half, Nebraska opened the second half on a 12-2 run and didn't look back.

USC had four players finish in double-figures: Chad Baker-Mazara (14 points), Alijah Arenas (14), Kam Woods (12) and Jaden Brownell, who chipped in 10 points off the bench and led the team with five rebounds and three blocks.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Playing at an up-tempo pace that favored the Trojans, USC got a lift from Kam Woods and Chad Baker-Mazara, who scored USC's first 10 points. After trailing by five points early, the Trojans scored in bunches and went on an 11-3 run bolstered by a pair of threes from Jaden Brownell, who checked into the game and made an immediate impact.

Midway through the first half, the Trojans turned up their defensive pressure and started forcing several Nebraska turnovers, which turned into points for USC. Brownell's right-handed layup with 6:16 to play put USC up 28-22, then four-straight points from Baker-Mazara helped USC keep the Huskers at arm's length and take a 32-27 lead. All told, the Trojans forced four turnovers in the final eight minutes of the half to help the team carry a 36-31 lead into halftime.

However, the Trojans could not get into a rhythm during the first four minutes of the second half. Nebraska scored four quick points off back-to-back USC turnovers before Jacob Cofie's dunk with 19 minutes to go got the Trojans on the board. Yet USC would go nearly five minutes without a field goal while Nebraska ripped off a 12-2 run to go up 47-40.

Freshmen Jerry Easter II and Alijah Arenas stepped up by scoring the next six points for USC before Nebraska went on a decisive 14-0 run.

Nebraska led by as many as 20 points down the stretch. Although the Trojans began pressing and speeding up the pace, the deficit was too much for USC to overcome. Arenas tried sparking the Trojans with 14 second-half points. A pair of free throws from the freshman with 2:53 left made it a 12-point game, but USC couldn't get closer as Nebraska handed the Trojans their fourth-straight loss.

NOTABLES

Alijah Arenas put up 14 points — this is his sixth game in double figures. Arenas finished the game with four assists and one steal.
Chad Baker-Mazara was the first Trojan to score double-digits, doing so in the first half for the 13th time this season. He ended the game with 14 points.
Kam Woods grabbed 12 points in this game, which is the fifth time he earned double-digit points. Along with that, he led the team in assists with four and steals with two.
Jaden Brownell came off the bench to register 10 points in this game. This is the seventh time this season he earned double-digit points. Brownell also helped out on defense, earning a team-high five rebounds and three blocks. Those three blocks are also a new season high.
USC was limited to a season-low 25 rebounds.
Four Trojans logged multiple assists this game. Saturday's game marked the 18th occasion with four Trojans recording two or more assists.
Today's game marked the 11th outing where four or more Trojans contributed at least 10 points. The last time USC had at least four Trojans finish in double-figures was against Ohio State on Feb. 11.
USC had its best performance from the free throw line, shooting 94% from the stripe.
The Trojans are now 6-6 all-time against Nebraska, and Coach Eric Musselman is 1-1 all-time against the Huskers.
Tonight's starting lineup featured Kam Woods, Ezra Ausar, Chad Baker-Mazara, Terrance Williams II and Jacob Cofie. This lineup has a 0-1 record and is USC's 14th of the season.

QUOTABLES
Coach Eric Musselman on USC coming out on a strong start…
"The way they came out in the first half — they had belief. Your confidence is probably gonna get a little hit when you've lost four in a row."

Coach Eric Musselman on players stepping into a bigger role…
"I wish there was more production. We didn't rebound the ball. I was hoping we could out-react them at certain positions, but there's JB and Kam, Terrance Williams and Jerry Easter — those were the guys who led us in rebounds."

Coach Eric Musselman on Nebraska's defense…
"The turnovers, especially in the first half, really hurt us. The one thing about Coach Hoiberg is that they don't change up a lot. They do what they do, and they do it really well. They do a good job of rotating and pre-rotating."

Terrance Williams II on Nebraska's second half…
"They came out with more energy. First couple of possessions, you could see it — they wanted it more than we did."

Jaden Brownell on USC's last two regular-season games…
"We need to watch film, do what we need to do in practice, get our mentality right, keep attacking. These games are important."

UP NEXT
USC will take its final regular-season road trip to Washington on Wednesday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network, and fans can also listen on ESPN LA 710.