The 2024 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament started off with a bang on Wednesday afternoon, as No. 9-seeded USC took on No. 8-seeded Washington at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Although Washington shot almost 70% from three in the first half, USC escaped with a 80-74 victory to extend its season-high win streak to four games and advance to the tournament quarterfinals.
“It was a tough game,” USC head coach Andy Enfield said. “I give our players a lot of credit. They battled the entire second half when they were down numerous times and found a way to win. So, [I’m] very proud of our team and we’ll move on.”
The two squads met during the regular season just 11 days ago, where the underdog Trojans stole a 82-75 victory on the Huskies’ home floor.
Thanks to Washington’s early sharpshooting, the Trojans struggled to find their footing in the first half Wednesday. In the first 4:11 of play, Washington converted four of their five 3-point attempts.
“Our first half was probably one of the best first halves that we’ve played this season offensively,” said Huskies’ head coach Mike Hopkins. We shared the ball, moved the ball, making nine 3s. That was pretty big.”
And big it was. Graduate forward Moses Wood sealed the Huskies’ first half offensive masterpiece with a buzzer beater from just beyond the arc to quench USC’s attempt at a comeback and put the Huskies up 42-37 going into halftime.
Despite Washington’s electric shooting, USC had sporadic bursts of momentum led by sophomore forward Vincent Iwuchukwu’s aggressiveness in the paint and lockdown defense from freshman guard Bronny James and junior guard Kobe Johnson. James’ and Johnson’s combined nine first-half rebounds and Johnson’s three steals were instrumental in helping the Trojans close gaps and take the lead.
Yet each time the Trojans attempted to climb into the driver’s seat and take control of this must-win game, they were rejected by a frenzy of Washington triples. USC’s largest first-half lead was just four points.
Enfield’s squad came out swinging in the second half, as an 8-2 run propelled the Trojans to a 45-44 lead. But it would prove to be a game of runs, with neither team able to generate consistent offense. The Trojans’ shooting woes continued, especially from deep. For most of the half, it seemed as if USC wouldn’t be able to capitalize on Washington’s scoreless stretches.
But USC’s offense heated up eventually. A dunk from redshirt senior forward Joshua Morgan handed the Trojans a 61-59 lead with 6:24 left to play, and the slam seemed to shift their momentum.
The two teams battled and tied at 65 points apiece, but USC started to create separation soon after. Three clutch free throws from James helped to turn the tide; USC had only shot 7-for-12 from the stripe until that point. A defensive stop on the other end led to a 3-pointer from fifth-year guard Boogie Ellis, and suddenly the Trojans were up six. And though they’d struggled with free throws all game, USC went 8-for-9 from the line in the final 3:30 to help secure the victory.
“Bronny did a great job with making five straight free throws,” Enfield said. “And [freshman guard Isaiah Collier] made two big free throws with about a minute and a half.”
It wasn’t just the Trojan offense that picked up: the team locked into a defensive rhythm in the second half, holding the Huskies to 35% shooting from the floor and just 18% from beyond the arc. USC also found ways to limit the Pac-12′s leading scorer, Keion Brooks Jr. The graduate forward, who averages 21.3 points per game for Washington, notched only 13 points in the loss.
The late-game push was spearheaded by Ellis, who scored 15 of his game-high 25 points in the second half. But in some ways, USC’s victory was symbolic, representing what the team could have looked like without so many regular season injuries.
“I’m really proud of our guys,” Enfield said. “This is a much better basketball team than we started the season [with]. They’ve improved dramatically on both sides of the ball.”
While USC is certainly beginning to see better days, it cannot afford a sluggish start in its next matchup against the No. 1 seed Arizona Wildcats if the Trojans have any hope of making a deep run in this tournament and following in the footsteps of USC women’s basketball, who won its own Pac-12 tournament this past weekend in Las Vegas.
“Tomorrow, we can’t come out like that. We’ve got to come out with a lot more energy,” Ellis said.
The Trojans will face off against the Wildcats at T-Mobile Arena in the Pac-12 quarterfinals on Thursday at noon.