USC has been riding the bubble for the better part of the season. But one win over Arizona in the Pac-12 title game will allow them to sleep easy on Saturday night.
TV schedule: Saturday, March 10, 10:00 p.m. ET. FS1
Arena: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada
Entering last night’s game against Oregon for a spot in the Pac-12 finals, USC was right on the bubble. According to our latest Bracketology, we had the Trojans as one of the “Last Four In”.
A loss to the Ducks could’ve sunk them, but Jonah Mathews had other plans. He had a career performance of 27 points, with Elijah Stewart chipping in with 15. It’s pushed the Trojans to just one game that can pull them off the bubble altogether.
But it won’t be easy because the team standing in front of them is the Arizona Wildcats, the conference’s regular-season champs. They took care of Colorado in the quarterfinals but needed overtime to get past UCLA. The upperclassmen for the Bruins did all they could, but the Wildcats held them scoreless in the extra five minutes to move on to the finals.
DeAndre Ayton is clearly on a mission to make everyone else pay for his name being mentioned in the ongoing FBI investigation. He went for 32 points and 14 rebounds, with Rawle Alkins contributing with 15 points himself.
These two teams faced once in Tuscon, Arizona. The Wildcats won fairly easily, with a final score of 81-67. Alkins and Ayton combined for 38 points, with Dusan Ristic producing a 16 point and 11 rebound double-double.
The Trojans were out-rebounded 39-22 and allowed Arizona to shoot 56% from the field. Chimezie Metu had 18 points to lead USC, with guard Jordan McLaughlin scoring 16 points.
Next: 2018 Pac-12 Conference Tournament Breakdown
With the Oregon win, USC should be in the dance. But a win Saturday night will erase all doubt. They will be motivated, but it appears that Sean Miller and Arizona might be even more motivated, seemingly angered by all the news. It could be the rallying cry that carries the Wildcats deep in the NCAA Tournament.