Chad Baker-Mazara was given an ultimatum. “He’s got to produce. I didn’t think he played very well at all tonight or at Michigan, and we need his scoring or we’ve got to look for somebody else,” coach Eric Musselman said in January about Mazara. He was even criticized for his excessive fouls by Musselman. It seems patience has finally run out, as Chad Baker-Mazara has departed USC. 

“Chad Baker-Mazara is no longer a member of the USC Men’s Basketball program,” the team announced Sunday. “Baker-Mazara, a graduate student, appeared in 26 contests for the Trojans in 2025-26. USC has two regular-season games remaining, traveling to Washington on March 4 and hosting UCLA on March 7 before the start of the Big Ten Tournament next week. “Mazara was averaging 18.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game and became their top offensive option after Rodney Rice’s injury. 

While the school didn’t offer any explanation for why the Trojans are departing with one of their top scorers, his behavior against Nebraska was indicative of some fallout between the two. He suffered an apparent leg injury with 16:59 remaining in the Trojans’ loss to Nebraska. After being substituted, Mazara sat in the second row with injured USC star Rodney Rice in a section for fans, rather than being on the bench with the rest of the team. 

He did not return for the rest of the game. Since he was released immediately after this incident, there is a possibility they are related. Nevertheless, the fans are not letting Chad Baker-Mazara walk away quietly, especially after his shenanigans in recent years.

College Basketball Troll Chad Baker Mazara After USC Departure

“@ChadBaker2700 how embarrassing,” wrote a fan. Mazzara has played 5 years of college basketball and his final season has been cut short. According to the fans, this is not a respectable way to go out, especially after leaving Auburn for a better deal. According to reports, Mazzara had signed a deal to return to Auburn for his last year in college for about $1.1 million. But after he learned Keshawn Hall was making double, he tried to renegotiate but Auburn couldn’t match his offer. So, he left. Even paying back (reportedly)  60% of the deal. For some fans, they already knew something like this was coming. 

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“42 years old and still one of the least mature players in the country,” pitched in another. Of course, that is an exaggeration. Mazara is 26 years old, which is among the oldest players in the college basketball circuit and he has had his problems. 

Last year, he elbowed Alabama’s Chris Youngblood in the back of the neck, knocking him to the floor.  It was a flagrant two and ejection from the game. “He’s the oldest guy in every game he plays, and too often he is the most immature. He allows the emotion of a game to get to him far too often. Ask Yale,” analyst Rob Dauster posted. Naturally, fans expect something similar to have happened to him for USC to release him just a couple of weeks before the season ended. 

“That fella must have done something baddddddd. I’m sure the news reports will be trickling out tomorrow,” commented another fan. Well, they are already coming out but it’s not something particular. The LA Times reported that “it wasn’t any one incident, but an accumulation of issues that led to Baker-Mazara’s departure.” Maybe his incident against Nebraska was the final straw. We don’t know for sure. Meanwhile, the Trojans are left to salvage what remains of their season.

“USC not going nowhere anyway,” declared another fan. USC is currently 18-11 overall and 7-11 in the Big Ten. Initially, it was on its way  for its first NCAA tournament bid since 2023. However, the Trojans have lost 5 games in a row and the odds of them making it are now dim. They conclude the regular season with games at Washington and at home against UCLA this week.