A tough season for USC basketball just got more difficult. Trojans star freshman Isaiah Collier has suffered a hand injury that will cost him to be sidelined for the next four-to-six weeks, the program announced on Thursday.

Collier left USC's disappointing 72-64 loss to Washington State on Wednesday with 12 minutes left after turning the ball over and quickly committing a foul. He never returned to the action, eventually making his way back to the bench while sporting a brace on his right hand.

A potential top-10 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Collier hasn't quite lived up to sky-high preseason expectations as a freshman. The electric 6'4 lead guard is averaging 15.4 points and a team-leading 4.1 assists per game on solid 50.6% field goal shooting, but ranks among the most turnover-prone players in college basketball while hardly quelling concerns about his long-range jumper, hitting just 31.3% of his triples. He's slowed down against stiffer competition, too, struggling in early Pac-12 play before better finding his footing in recent wins over Cal and Stanford.

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Still, Collier's injury is a major blow to the Trojans, now 8-8 on the season at large including 2-3 in Pac-12 play, good for sixth in the conference. They'll be hard-pressed to make the NCAA Tournament with him missing such a critical chunk of the schedule.

One silver lining of Collier's injury, at least for basketball fans at large? His absence will open up more playing time for Bronny James, who's father currently stars for the Los Angeles Lakers and just might be the greatest player of all time. James got a late start to his freshman campaign and has played most of it on a minutes restriction after undergoing cardiac arrest in August. He's impressed at times as USC's sixth man, though, showing off the advanced two-way feel, explosive athleticism and defensive chops that makes James a possible first-round draft pick come June.

Playing their first game of the season without Isaiah Collier, Bronny and the Trojans take the floor again on Saturday at Colorado.