The SEC established itself as the premier conference in college basketball last season.
The conference bred the winner of the national title, the Florida Gators, and had several other programs find success in the NCAA Tournament, such as the Auburn Tigers, who made the Final Four.
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Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl led the Tigers to a 32-win season, the most in program history. They were led by a group of veterans, including Naismith Player of the Year runner-up Johni Broome as well as Miles Kelly and Chad Baker-Mazara.
After the season, Baker-Mazara unexpectedly entered the transfer portal.
On Monday, he committed to USC, seemingly headed to the Big Ten to finish his college basketball career.
“Dreams turned into reality!! Let’s go to work!! #committed,” Baker-Mazara said.
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Baker-Mazara is listed as a four-star transfer on the 247Sports recruiting site. While he was unranked coming out of high school, he played a pivotal role in the Auburn Tigers’ success in the SEC.
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The native of the Dominican Republic is listed as the No. 5 small forward and the No. 24 overall player in the transfer portal, per 247Sports.
Auburn Tigers head coach Bruce Pearl.Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images
Baker-Mazara was expected to play a large role for the Tigers next season, especially with the loss of Broome.
Last season with Auburn, Baker-Mazara recorded 12.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
He has spent the last two seasons at Auburn, having previously played for the Duquesne Dukes and San Diego State Aztecs earlier in his college basketball career.
Related: Former Four-Star Recruit Announces Final Transfer Portal Decision on Sunday
Related: South Carolina Player Sends Strong Message After Leaving Dawn Staley
