Telepeer

USC men have no answer for No. 10 Illinois in their most lopsided loss of season

February 19, 2026

LOS ANGELES — The USC men’s basketball team didn’t have an answer for the second-highest scoring offense in the Big Ten Conference on Wednesday night.

No. 10 Illinois scored seemingly at will from all three levels, with Jake Davis sinking 3-pointers and Kylan Boswell attacking in the paint as the Fighting Illini rolled to a 101-65 win. They handed USC its second straight loss and biggest blowout of the season.

The inside of the Galen Center was brimming with blue-and-orange-clad Illinois fans who had come to support the second-place team in the Big Ten. And with one of their most significant contributors on the sideline with injury, the Trojans (18-8 overall, 7-8 Big Ten) couldn’t overcome the noise.

Ezra Ausar scored a team-high 15 points and added 11 rebounds for USC, which fell to 0-4 against ranked teams. Jacob Cofie scored 14 points and Kam Woods added seven assists for the Trojans, who committed 14 turnovers that led to 22 points for the Illini.

Six-foot-7 USC wing Chad Baker-Mazara, who averages 3.6 defensive rebounds and 1.3 blocked shots, missed his third straight game with a knee strain that he sustained in the Trojans’ Feb. 3 game against Indiana.

Baker-Mazara, who remains day-to-day, was not on the bench for the game and the offense suffered without its leading scorer (18.3 ppg) as USC fell behind 54-32 by halftime.

Boswell was playing in his second straight game for Illinois (22-5, 13-3) after missing nearly a month’s worth of games due to a broken right hand and was active on both offense and defense. He scored 10 points in the first half while dishing out four assists and grabbing two steals.

He threw down a one-handed dunk with three seconds remaining in the opening half, hanging on the rim with his previously broken, bandaged hand and staring out at the crowd in stoic celebration after the basket.

The Illini dominated the free-throw line in the first half, an area where USC typically excels. The Trojans shot 7 for 10 from the foul line before the break, while Illinois made 15 of 17.

Jacob Cofie was USC’s top scorer and rebounder in the first half with eight points and four boards. He battled in the paint and dropped in a layup that helped string together six unanswered points midway through the half.

USC was outscored 47-33 in the second half on the way to its most lopsided loss of the season.

The offense was left without a key cog when Woods, the starting point guard, fouled out of the game. Prior to that, he converted a layup with 12:24 left on the clock to halt a 12-0 Illinois run, but the Illini had an answer for everything against the Trojans’ defense.

Andrej Stojakovic grabbed a steal half a minute later and went across the court for a one-handed dunk that pushed the visitors’ lead to 75-42.

Stojakovic scored 22 points to lead seven Illinois players in double figures as they won for the 14th time in their past 16 games. Stojakovic shot 6 for 7 from the floor and made all nine of his free throws. David Mirkovic added 14 points.

Illinois shot 50% from the field in the second half and 51.6% for the night while making 24 of 26 free throws overall.

Visiting fans took turns shouting “I-L-L” with the other side of the arena responding “I-N-I.”

USC has five games left on its Big Ten regular-season schedule (all in the Pacific time zone), including two against crosstown rival UCLA.

Orange County Register

News Details

USC men have no answer for No. 10 Illinois in their most lopsided loss of season

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS