A trip to Maui was the final bargaining chip the USC men’s basketball team needed to get Chad Baker-Mazara to commit to their program.

“When Coach told me that we were going to Maui, I literally asked (head coach Eric Musselman and assistant coach Anthony Ruta), has anybody won it back-to-back? And he told me no, and I actually did commit right there,” Baker-Mazara told reporters.

The decision is starting to pay off for the 6-foot-7 forward and Auburn transfer, who is now the first player to win back-to-back Southwest Maui Invitational tournaments. He was named the tournament MVP after helping the Trojans (7-0) beat Boise State, Seton Hall and Arizona State.

The accomplishments have the team riding a season-opening 7-game winning streak as they begin Big Ten Conference play at Oregon (4

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