5 things to watch as USC men's basketball hosts No. 5 Purdue

USC men's basketball's quest for a spot in the NCAA tournament was in grave danger after the Trojans were blown out in back-to-back games by Michigan and Michigan State. However, USC has since rebounded, securing much-needed wins against Minnesota and Maryland despite many injuries. At 3-3 in Big Ten play, the Trojans are still right in the middle of the fight to win the most competitive basketball conference in America.

This weekend, USC has to play one of the best teams in the country again, No. 5 Purdue. Can the Trojans give the Boilermakers a real fight? Or will they be humiliated again, in front of their home crowd this time?

Here are five things to watch as USC takes on No. 5 Purdue on Saturday:

Chad Baker-Mazara's health

Chad Baker-Mazara has had a puzzling last few games. Baker-Mazara inexplicably came off the bench against Michigan State and scored only 4 points in a game USC lost by 29 points. No explanation was given as to if that was injury related or not. Then, Baker-Mazara played the full 40 minutes against Minnesota and dropped 29 points to lead the Trojans past the Gophers.

But against Maryland, Baker-Mazara came off the bench and played only 9 minutes, scoring 7 points. This time, Musselman explained what was going on: Baker-Mazara is dealing with a neck injury. He was spotted getting his neck, shoulders and back stretched out early in the game on the sideline.

USC's odds to beat Purdue increase dramatically if Baker-Mazara plays. The 19 points-per-game scorer has carried the brunt of the load on offense for USC with Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas sidelined with injury.

Is togetherness the key offensively?

Coach Eric Musselman brought up some revealing stats during his postgame press conference following USC's win over Maryland.

"We had 23 assists, 235 passes and only six turnovers," Musselman said. "It's the most passes we've had all year in a game. I'm super proud of the togetherness, and it showed by the sharing of the basketball. We kept getting better as the game progressed."

Jordan Marsh, USC's leading scorer in the Maryland win, echoed the sentiment that the team's chemistry and connectedness played a role in the victory.

"I feel like we were very connected tonight as a unit," Marsh said. "We won by 17. Our previous games have been really close, so I just feel like we all just came together and have the same mindset."

With or without Baker-Mazara, look for USC to try and move the basketball a lot on offense. Maybe not quite as much as the San Antonio Spurs did in the mid-2010s, but close.

Could USC's bench scoring make a difference?

Interestingly, USC's bench outscored its starting lineup in the Maryland win. The reserves scored 46 points while the starters scored only 42. 46 points marked a season-high for USC's bench unit.

Those efforts were led by Jordan Marsh (20 points), Jerry Easter II (10 points) and Jaden Brownell (9 points).

USC would obviously love to get high point totals from its starting group, including Ezra Ausar, Jacob Cofie and (hopefully) Baker-Mazara. But if they can bring balanced scoring depth against the Boilermakers, it will allow them to quickly get out of any ruts they get into offensively.

USC must bother the Boilermakers with perimeter defense

This will be a tall task for USC against one of the best guard units in the country. But, in Purdue's only loss to Iowa State, the Cyclones had a clear strategy: get Purdue's guards out of rhythm.

Purdue shot only 4-of-18 (22%) from three-point range and forced 15 Boilermaker turnovers, holding Purdue to only 58 points. That's a remarkable defensive effort in a game that took place at Purdue's home arena.

If the Trojans can keep the Boilermakers out of sync, they can make this game a rock fight, which would favor the home team.

Braden Smith cannot have a David Coit game

The only reason why Maryland stayed in the game against USC is that the Trojans let senior guard David Coit score 30 points. USC can overcome an incredible effort like that on a team that lacks firepower otherwise.

But if Purdue guard Braden Smith has a similar game? USC will be run out of its own arena.

Smith is considered by many to be the best point guard in the country. The senior may be averaging only 14.2 points per game, but he absolutely has the ability to drop 30 any given night. His career-high is 34 points.

But the reason why Smith can't have that kind of game is not because of his scoring alone. It's because of his passing. Smith averages 9.6 assists per game -- best in the entire country. If he's scoring at a level where USC has to pay him the kind of attention that a 30 point scorer demands, he'll simply use his elite court vision and instincts and pass the ball to one of his extremely talented teammates.

He's a dangerous player. Purdue is a dangerous team. USC's job is to face the danger head on.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC men's basketball faces Purdue at Galen Center on Saturday