USC's Eric Musselman Delivers Key Injury Update on Chad Baker-Mazara

USC Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara suffered a knee injury in USC's win over the Indiana Hoosiers on Tuesday night. Trojans coach Eric Musselman revealed what the diagnosis was from the MRI.

Jan 9, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Chad Baker-Mazara (4) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

USC Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara left USC’s 81-75 win over the Indiana Hoosiers with a knee injury. Since then, Baker-Mazara had an MRI. Trojans coach Eric Musselman revealed the diagnosis on Thursday. 

USC Trojans, Chad Baker-Mazara Get Good News 

USC forward Chad Baker-Mazara (4) confers with USC head coach Eric Musselman during the second half of their game Sunday, January 25, 2026 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. USC beat Wisconsin 73-71. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

USC can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Chad Baker-Mazara’s knee injury could have been much worse. Eric Musselman announced to reporters that Baker-Mazara suffered a grade 1 knee strain and will be day-to-day. 

USC men's basketball avoided disaster in its win over Indiana. Chad Baker-Mazara is day-to-day with a Grade 1 knee strain.

— Connor Morrissette (@C_Morrissette) February 5, 2026

Just days before this news, Baker-Mazara was assisted off the court, unable to put weight on his right knee against Indiana. This was especially concerning for USC considering the bad injury luck they’ve had in the backcourt this season. 

Earlier in the season, their leading scorer, guard Rodney Rice suffered a shoulder injury and will miss the remainder of 2025-26. 

Some good news in the guard department is the surge of freshman guard Alijah Arenas. Arenas was a five-star recruit coming out of high school in the class of 2025, but missed the first couple months of the season with a torn meniscus. In his fifth game at USC after coming back from the injury, Arenas dropped a career high 29 points in the win over Indiana. 

With Rice out for the season, the backcourt will continue to be led by Arenas and Baker-Mazara when he is cleared to return from his knee strain. 

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Chad Baker-Mazara’s Season

Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Chad Baker-Mazara (4) shoots the ball against Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Harun Zrno (13) in the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Chad Baker-Mazara has been USC’s leading scorer this season besides the injured Rodney Rice. Baker-Mazara is averaging 18.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game on 43.7 percent shooting from the field and 36.7 percent shooting from three. 

He is one of the oldest players to play college basketball. The 26-year-old Baker-Mazara started his collegiate career back in 2020 with the Duquesne Dukes. After one season there, he played for the San Diego State Aztecs from 2021-22. Then he transferred to Northwest Florida State College for the 2022-23 season. 

From there, Baker-Mazara transferred to the Auburn Tigers from 2023-2025, where he became most well known. He helped lead Auburn to the No. 1 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and tom the Final Four. He entered the portal in the offseason and transferred to USC. 

Trojans On Right Side of NCAA Tournament Bubble

Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The win over Indiana improved USC’s record to 17-6 overall and 6-6 in Big Ten conference play. In ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s updated 2026 NCAA Tournament bubble watch, USC is among the teams in “last four byes.” This means the Trojans would be avoiding the First Four play-in games in Dayton and slotted in the field of 64 as either a No. 10 or No. 11 seed. 

Up next for USC is a road game against the Penn State Nittany Lions on Sunday, Feb. 8. Penn State is tied for last place in the Big Ten with 1-10 conference record.