LAS VEGAS – In college basketball, teams have to take games in March one game at a time. The No. 1 Arizona Wildcats have embraced that motto, as they swiftly put away the No. 9 USC Trojans Thursday afternoon in the Pac-12 Men’s Tournament quarterfinals.
During the regular season, Arizona (25-7; 15-5 Pac-12) and USC (15-18; 8-12 Pac-12) each won on home soil, with USC beating the Wildcats just last week 78-65, in the final game of the regular season before the Pac-12 Men’s Tournament for both teams.
But the Wildcats tend to turn it up in Las Vegas, where they are now 6-1 against the Trojans all-time with their only tournament loss to USC in their previous matchup in 2019, when the Wildcats fell 78-65 in the first round.
Arizona dominated in the paint and eliminated the Trojans Thursday with a 70-49 victory in front of a heavy Wildcat crowd spread throughout T-Mobile Arena. The Wildcats face off against Thursday’s winner of No. 5 UCLA and No. 4 Oregon in the semifinals Friday at 5 PM PDT.
Arizona locked down the perimeter and frustrated the USC offense in the first half, with the Trojans shooting 7-for-30 from the field and 2-for-12 from the 3-point line. The Wildcats finished the first half on a 9-0 run due to winning the battle in the paint, leaving the Trojans without scoring for the final 5:49 of the half.
Senior center Oumar Ballo was the epicenter of the Arizona game plan, tallying 10 points while controlling the paint with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Wildcats coach Tommy Lloyd commended Ballo for his impact on the game, calling him “an absolute difference maker, a monster.”
“He’s a game changer. (I’m) really proud of him, and I love that he’s doing it on a nightly basis now,” Lloyd said.
The Wildcats dominated the boards like they have all season long, finishing with 44 total rebounds and 14 offensive rebounds compared to 30 rebounds and nine offensive rebounds from the Trojans. Arizona has had 10 or more offensive rebounds in 26 of its last 31 games, including 16 of its last 17.
Arizona has been clinical in the Pac-12 tournament since Lloyd took over in 2021, with a 10-1 record in Las Vegas and a 9-1 record in T-Mobile Arena. He boasts an 86-18 record in his first three seasons, three wins away from tying the record for most wins for a coach in the first three years with a program at 89 (held by Brad Stevens at Butler and Brad Underwood at Stephen F. Austin).
Lloyd has praised his team’s depth all season and it showed yet again Thursday, as the Wildcats’ top two leading scorers started on the bench (KJ Lewis with 15; Jaden Bradley with 12), against a zone defense that they struggled against last week.
“Maybe they’re not players you think traditionally would play good against the zone, but they were opportunistic,” Lloyd said. “And I’m really proud of how they responded, especially in a game like that.”
As the game progressed, USC became more desperate in its shot selection in the mid-range and perimeter, shooting 35.7% from the field and 27.3% from 3-point range.
Guards Boogie Ellis and Isaiah Collier were key factors Wednesday in the Trojan’s 80-74 comeback win over Washington, with Ellis scoring 25 points and five 3-pointers, and seven assists from Collier. Against the Wildcats, however, they were muffled, with Ellis only scoring 13 and Collier giving up six turnovers.
For the Trojans, the shots just couldn’t fall in the lane like they did in their previous matchup with Arizona, according to USC coach Andy Enfield
“We just didn’t convert when we had open looks,” he said. “And as I said we were off balance too much when we got in the lane.”
The Wildcats now shift their attention to the semifinals, where they have had great success over Oregon and UCLA this season, winning 87-78 and 103-83 over Oregon, with 77-71 and 88-65 wins against UCLA.
With a potential third-straight Pac-12 Men’s Tournament win on the horizon, Lloyd and his Wildcats are looking at the journey one day at a time.
“Our deal is focusing internal, game by game. And we’re not getting any more complicated than that.” Lloyd said.
“Tomorrow, whatever time we play, you’ve got to be ready to roll because you can’t assume anything.”
kittens lose to ducks
Go cats!!!