LOS ANGELES — The buzz inside the Galen Center felt muted long before the final horn sounded Saturday afternoon.
In what was billed as a measuring-stick opportunity, the USC Trojans instead watched their postseason hopes continue to flicker, falling 82-67 to the No. 12 Nebraska Cornhuskers in front of 6,645 fans.
For a team clinging to the idea of a deep March run, the timing couldn’t be worse. USC has now dropped five straight games at the most critical stretch of the season, slipping to 18-11 overall and 7-11 in Big Ten play.
The unraveling didn’t happen immediately.
USC played about as clean a first half as it has in weeks. The Trojans forced eight turnovers, allowed just three bench points and did not concede a single fastbreak point. They controlled tempo, limited Nebraska’s transition looks and took a 36-31 lead into halftime.
Then came the avalanche.
Nebraska opened the second half on an 11-2 run, seizing a 43-38 advantage with 16:56 to play — and never relinquished control. What had been a disciplined, physical effort by USC dissolved into missed box-outs, empty possessions and defensive breakdowns.
“I think Sam Hoiberg makes a huge difference,” USC head coach Eric Musselman said afterward.
Sam Hoiberg won’t overwhelm you on the stat sheet — seven points, five rebounds, two assists in 26 minutes — but his impact stretched beyond numbers. He steadied Nebraska’s offense, triggered defensive pressure and helped flip the game’s rhythm.
The most glaring shift came on the glass. After battling evenly for 20 minutes, USC was thoroughly dominated in the second half. Nebraska finished with a 41-25 rebounding edge and grabbed 18 offensive boards.
“Look, we didn’t rebound the ball,” Musselman said. “Our athleticism and our length, we should be able to rebound the ball better than we did tonight.”
That deficiency opened the floodgates. Nebraska shot 52.9% in the second half while USC sputtered to 38.5%. The Trojans went ice cold from deep — 0 for 9 after halftime following a respectable 4-of-12 first-half clip.
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While USC’s offense stalled, Nebraska found its knockout punch in Pryce Sandfort. Sandfort poured in a game-high 32 points, knocking down five of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc and repeatedly punishing defensive lapses. He added six rebounds and two assists in 38 commanding minutes.
The Cornhuskers also received a major lift from Braden Frager, who came off the bench to score 17 points and grab eight rebounds in 27 minutes.
USC had its moments individually but lacked sustained cohesion.
Alijah Arenas was a non-factor in the first half, scoreless in nine minutes with just one shot attempt. He came alive late, finishing with 14 points — all in the second half — and going a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line. But much of that production came with the game already out of reach.
Chad Baker-Mazara matched Arenas with 14 points but exited early in the second half and did not return.
“He said he couldn’t go,” Musselman said. “I haven’t talked to the trainers.”
Kam Woods added 12 points and four assists, while Jaden Brownell provided 10 points, five rebounds and three blocks off the bench. USC’s reserves totaled 30 points — one of the few statistical bright spots.
Still, the second half told the story.
“Well the first half, I thought we played as good as we probably could,” Musselman said. “In the second half, we didn’t do anything very good.”
Nebraska improved to 25-4 overall and 14-4 in conference play, reinforcing its standing as one of the Big Ten’s most complete teams. USC, meanwhile, faces a narrowing path forward.
The Trojans close the regular season with a road trip to Washington on Wednesday before hosting the rival UCLA Bruins next Saturday night. Five straight losses. Two games left. And a postseason resume that’s suddenly running out of time.