Southern California forward Dewayne Dedmon has a torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee and a bone bruise in his left leg, making him the fifth Trojans player to sustain a season-ending injury.
The 7-foot sophomore hurt his knee early in a game against Colorado on Thursday night when a Buffs player fell back into Dedmon, hyperextending his leg. Dedmon won't have surgery; instead, he'll rest and rehabilitate.
Coach Kevin O'Neill says Dedmon's injury is another ''huge blow'' to the team. The Trojans are 5-16 and 0-8 in Pac-12 play, having lost nine straight games overall.
Dedmon has been plagued by injuries since he transferred to USC. He broke his right hand in October and he had a stress fracture in his right foot in November. Dedmon averaged 7.6 points and 5.5 rebounds in 20 games this season.
Other Trojans out with season-ending injuries are Jio Fontan, Aaron Fuller, Evan Smith and Curtis Washington. That leaves USC with six scholarship players on its active roster.
