No. 24 USC survives Utah in double overtime to advance in Pac-12 tournament
Associated Press — Evan Mobley (above) scored 13 of his 26 points in the two overtimes and No. 24 USC outlasted scrappy Utah 91-85 in the Pac-12 quarterfinals Thursday night.
The second-seeded Trojans (22-6) had a hard time shaking the seventh-seeded Utes in a game filled with methodical possessions.
Utah (12-13) hung around after trailing by 10 midway through the second half and rallied to tie the game on Ian Martinez’s two free throws with 2.3 seconds left in regulation. The Utes tied it again in the first overtime on Alfonzo Plummer’s 3-pointer with 24 seconds left.
Mobley had five points in the first overtime and eight more in the second to send the Trojans in to Friday’s semifinals against the California-Colorado winner.
Timmy Allen had 20 points and Martinez 16 to lead the Utes, who held on to beat Washington 98-95 in the Pac-12 quarterfinals,
USC won the teams’ first meeting by holding Utah to 46 points, but the Utes won by 10 at home by shutting the Trojans down.
USC had the defensive edge in the first go-around despite Evan Mobley being limited to seven first-half minutes due to foul trouble.
The Trojans made it hard on the Utes from the start and seemed to get better without the Pac-12’s defensive player of the year, holding Utah without a field goal for nearly 6 1/2 minutes.
The Utes still managed pull to 34-29 at halftime.
USC shot well in the first half after a slow start and kept it going to begin the second, hitting 6 of its first 11 shots to push the lead to 51-41.
The Utes wouldn’t let the Trojans pull away, fighting back every time they tried to run away with it.
Utah cut USC’s lead to three on Alfonzo Plummer’s pull-up jumper with 4 1/2 minutes left and again on a Plummer runner with just under 2 minutes left to help the Utes force overtime.
“I just stayed focused, stayed locked in, tried to encourage my teammates while they were playing without me,” Mobley said. “And in the second half just try to come in and attack. I was well-rested.”
“Sometimes it can be deflating if you think you won the game or had a great chance to win it, and that happened twice to us,” Enfield said. “Our players did just an outstanding job of staying tough, staying focused and playing winning basketball in that second overtime.”
“Our guys are going to play big minutes again tomorrow,” Enfield said, “so they better be ready.”
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LAT — “Their superstar freshman had carried the USC Trojans as far as they could go. Their transfer point guard had kept their pulse alive late, scoring his only 11 points over the final four minutes. But as D’Shawn Schwartz leaped unabated to slam home a missed jumper in the final seconds, USC could only watch.”
latimes.com
12 chances at free points and only get 6, lose by 2. Won’t go far shooting like that. Frustrating knowing they would get OSU in the final for PAC 12 Champs.
Well at least we made a close game at the end………But I do miss the days (especially in football ) when SC was a top 10 program in the country and played like it by beating 90+ percent of their opponents consistently !!!!!……..FIGHT ON !!!!!
Like already discussed it was a tale of two halves. In the first half USC played one on one and was easily trapped. In the second half there was ball and player movement. This changed the whole offense and the Trojans caught up and should have won. But the 14 point behind was too much to catch up. But it showed that USC can play with Colorado and just have to move the ball. Anderson played good defense but has a tendency to hold on to the ball and affects the other players playing the same way. When Pteterson and… Read more »
Why not to bet on sports:
I bet the bettors favoring Colorado were feeling cozily smug with the Buffs leading by 10 with 4 1/2 minutes to go. “Look how smart I am,” they were probably thinking.
And then the Trojans kept coming on, and coming on, and tie up the game near the end: “Maybe I’m not so smart afterall,”
Colorado then wins it at the very end: “See, I knew it all along!”
Still awake and watching. It is a good game. What now stands out to me is SC guard play is not very good. Evan Mobley is really good, but the CO guards are much better than the SC guards. I doubt Mobley will be able to overcome how much better CO’s guards are than SC’s.
I GOTTA get sleep tonight(working on only 1 hours sleep from last night and midnight NY Time coming quick ) …..So I guess I will find who wins in the morning …….FIGHT ON !!!!!
I suppose we all have our sports priorities:
I mean, Dodgers win first World Series since last century– pretty exciting.
Lakers win first championship in years– quite nice.
SC wins relatively meaningless quarterfinal-game against Utah in Pac-12 Tournament– Amazing, sensational, and exhausting.
While close, it seems like most of those in the betting world are picking CU to beat USC tonight at 8:30 PT (ESPN). It appears as though the inconsistent, free-throw challenged Trojans are basically viewed as a one-man team (Evan Mobley) based on many of the media pieces I am coming across: Against the spread (ATS) pick: covers.com “The Buffaloes beat the Trojans twice this season, scoring a 72-62 win as 4-point road underdogs in southern Cal on New Year’s Eve and, most recently, thumping USC 80-62 as 3.5-point home faves on Feb 25. That last victory is part of a five-game winning streak… Read more »
Allen, I claim to know next to nothing about basketball. With that caveat, I watched both the road losses to CO and Utah. I thought SC was better than Utah and I thought CO was better than SC. I think the rankings of CO better than SC and the betting makes sense. I doubt SC wins tonight. Brutal that it is at 10:30 my time, but I will watch it. But, all things being equal, SC should lose. But, Utah played two really good games. For me, that shows Utah is well coached – the team peaked at the right… Read more »
Yes, indeedy. I’m with you.
While I sure hope USC gets hot from the perimeter and wins, which they could do, I sure wouldn’t bet on it, especially in view of USC’s long-standing tough post-reg season record in hoops.
USC football has always been heralded for its post-season bowl success. USC hoops has always had the opposite rep.
After the first half, looks like we are right on. That last series was a six point swing – CO missed its 3 and SC made its.
The Athletic’s question/answers to poll responders — If you could change one thing about the way the USC football program is run, what would it be? — “It starts at the top. When you’re not confident in your head coach, it’s hard to be confident about anything in the program.” — “Hire Luke Fickell.” — “It is clear to everyone that knows anything about leadership and coaching that Clay Helton is the question and not the answer. Bohn has improved the underlying foundation significantly- to get to the next level however a change in the head coach of the program… Read more »
That is simple – Helton is incompetent. Hire Luke Fickell and give him a shot at this program.
I bet Helton is USC’s coach in 2022.
The Pac-12 isn’t very challenging, and now routine losses to Notre Dame don’t seem to be held against Gentleman Clay by Trojan athletics IMO.
The loss to ND may not bother Trojan athletics, but it sure pisses off the fans.
I agree. My very unreliable crystal ball is Helton gets thru 2022 and then Donte Williams takes over. In 2021, SC finishes no better than 3rd in the Pac 12 South behind UCLA and ASU with at least two bad losses. We get some political BS and Clay returns in 2022 and repeats his 2021 performance. Donte Williams meanwhile continues to recruit top 10 talent and has aligned himself with the entertainment industry. He is then much more powerful than Clay and SC has a choice – Donte or Clay. How about that for a movie script?
Oops. It meant Donte takes over in 2023, in my script.
I know one thing, Carlo Folt knows exactly what she is doing and isn’t going to tell the outside World what her moves will be until she is good and ready.
She will never hire a HC or professor that could become a threat to her authority. I fear she will likely replace Clay Helton with a clone. Whether Donte, Fickell or other popular choice fits that description, only Folt will know. I am curious as to how long Mike Bohn will accept her restrictive nature.
I don’t know who Carlo Folt is; but it sure sounds like she is bad for SC Football and the University in general!
Good comeback on my bad typing on a cell phone with auto spelling. Maybe even an iPhone can’t stand Carol either?
Mike Bohn likes his challenging job, and he’s being very well paid. USC is darn lucky to have him.
In the end, he’ll do whatever Folt/Caruso dictates. Even if he bucked her and moved on, so what? She and Caruso would just hire another AD who ultimately will do exactly what they are told. Them’s the marching orders for the position.
What was so sad for me Allen was that Pat Haden was/is still a very good friend of mine and that dates back too when he played QB at USC. To see him doing a poor job as our AD and adversley impacting his legacy was very painful to watch. It still makes me sad just posting this.
I agree. I wasn’t ever a good friend of Pat’s. But I was around him some times when I was at USC and law school. He seemed like a great guy. Handled himself well. Humble. Knew everyone. He was a superstar-type who acted like a regular person — at least as a youth. I thought Haden would absolutely hit a home run as the USC AD. I’m still surprised he had such trouble with the job. I don’t think it’s an easy one. In fact, I would say to be a superior college AD at a big-time national school takes… Read more »
And I was really excited with the timing of his hire — with the mess involving our probation/appeal — because of his work for NBC and the assumption that I made that he was media savvy and it was just what we needed. Man, did I miss on that one. 😠
Haden probably was a regular guy. But he had to have a huge ego after his playing days were over with in believing he alone had all the answers like canning a HC that kept the program at a remarkable level and not giving him the benefit of the doubt for all the stress & pressure Kif had to go through. And then ignore all the warning signs bringing in a sick man in Sarkisian let alone not giving coach O a chance because he didn’t fit in with the beautiful people Haden hung around with. He put his own… Read more »
There were others high up inside USC who stood as a roadblock to Ed O’s permanence just as much or more than Haden ever did. I think turning away from Ed O was just as much or more a USC thing, as it was a Haden thing. JMHO.
You may be right Allen, in your assessment on Ed O. However, Ed O wouldn’t have shown up at a highstakes supporter function drunk with a foul mouth embarrassing everyone and at football practices in the same shape as well as bringing in a lousy OL coach and a DC who couldn’t communicate with his players. He also would have kept all the top Cali athletes at home. Haden didn’t have to do anything. He was Max’es boy and could have “easily” kept things as they were. Instead, his ego made 3-decisions that has lead USC football to where it… Read more »
Make no mistake about it. I love Ed O, in part because he selflessly gave me amazing access to vital recruiting inside info for many years. Plus, he’s just a great, memorable guy. But I didn’t want him as USC’s permanent HC for many reasons, and I think the LSU environment, culture, and situation fit him far better. The fact is, powerful people at USC wouldn’t allow Ed O to ascend to the permanent HC position and Haden was doing their bidding as much as he was his own. It wasn’t just Haden by a mile. Ed O didn’t fit… Read more »
Allen, SC football is now completely unstable. Donte Williams is committed to excellence. It is in his DNA. Clay Helton is incompetent. You cannot have a Clay Helton managing a Donte. Simply will not work. Folt will either have to drive Donte off, which will be difficult politically for her. Or she will have to let him run the program. I am now on your side – she will not survive driving Donte off and letting Clay run the program. Bohn will have no choice but to resign and the fans will bail big time. So, my very hazy crystal… Read more »
RJJ, I am just not sure what the future of USC football is headed. We know a HC like Clay Helton would never have been given an extension by previous administrations. But yet, those administrations cared about tradition and the USC brand. The confusing part is why Mike Bohn was brought in unless it was due to his administrative experience alone. This is basically a USC football website and is centered around that fact. So are we going to see a continued lack of interest by the administration as to the importance of rebuilding USC football or not? We keep… Read more »
Jamaica, Totally agree. Right now it is impossible to state what the future of SC Football is. Do we go the way of UCLA or of Notre Dame? What you and I agree upon is that the current staff cannot hold together. Was it brought in to transition USC to UCLA in football (five straight losing seasons and no one at the games?) or is it about to be allowed to return to glory? We simply do not know. My guess is we will not know for about two years. And, my guess is that no one in the Administration… Read more »
You may be right Allen, in your assessment on Ed O. However, Ed O wouldn’t have shown up at a highstakes supporter function drunk with a foul mouth embarrassing everyone and at football practices in the same shape as well as bringing in a lousy OL coach and a DC who couldn’t communicate with his players. He also would have kept all the top Cali athletes at home. Haden didn’t have to do anything. After all, he was Max’es boy and could have “easily” kept things as they were. Instead, his ego made 3-decisions that has lead USC football to… Read more »
And being the fall guy for those making unpopular decisions behind closed doors? Sure , the right amount of money can buy over even personal integrity?
Since when hasn’t money ruled over personal integrity on a frequent basis? It seems to be a common thread and malady throughout the world — and I see evidence of it every day in America at every level.
The Atheltic’s USC Football poll results (The program has made incremental improvements over the past year or so, but questions still remain about Clay Helton, who has guided the Trojans to an 18-13 record over the past three seasons). (1: Poor, 5: Excellent) 1. How would you rate the health of USC’s football program? 5: 25.4 percent 4: 14.1 percent 3: 30.5 percent 2: 16.4 percent 1: 13.5 percent This was a pretty well-balanced response, even though the votes for 5 seem a bit high. Alabama’s a 5, health-wise. USC isn’t that. 2. How would you rate USC’s performance during… Read more »
After reading the poll I feel confident in how I feel about USC football. I matched all the highest percentages on each question.
You really think USC will finish 10-2 or better in reg season? Have you felt this way for a reasonably long time, or is this new for you?
I disagree, but maybe just wishful thinking. Some people that are well connected feel that anything less than a conference championship will usher out the end of the Helton era. Even in weak conference, I don’t even see SC winning the South. I still believe next years team will struggle to be bowl eligible.
Other than AZ St and ND it is possible. Why? I don’t know but I do believe Slovis is going to break out big time this year, the defense will be very good, different from last year, but still good, and the run game may go. There are always the games that get away from Helton, so 8-4 could be a possible. There could be a silver lining with a loss to ucla and ND. We know what that could mean. With Fink leaving we now have to make sure the back up is ready to play.
10 & 2 or 9 & 3 is likely if Slovis doesn’t get hurt. If USC makes it into the PAC-12 championship game, it will likely be another loss as it will be in a better bowl game against a good team. Helton’s leadership hovering over the team’s ceiling of success has reached its peak. You need more than a Clay Helton to become championship level no matter how good your assistant coaches are. If Mike Bohn wants championships, he has to replace Helton.
Boy, I really am in a minority with my 6-6. Less than 4%. Still sticking to it – sure losses -3 (ND, ASU, UCLA), split BYU and San Jose State, and two more.
Colin Cowherd’s speculating this morning that Sam Darnold could be headed to Seattle to play for Pete Carroll. Obviously, there are all kinds of moving parts here, including Russell Wilson headed to the Bears, but since I like Darnold and Carroll so much, I’d sure like to see them united in the NFL as former Trojans.
Nice write up, Allen. Colorado has owned USC time to give them some payback.,
Real hot take here, but we need to make shots. The Buffs will pack it in and dare us to take more three’s, they have to fall. If we shoot 35% or better, we win. If we are 30 or below, we will lose.
It’s gonna be USC v CU tomorrow night, 8:30 PT.
Hopefully SC can figure out how to beat the Buffs. We haven’t fared well against them in quite some time and they seem to have our number. As with any sport in my opinion, play good Defense first and foremost and the Offense will come. Fight On!
From what I have seen of USC, without Evan they would be mediocre. Why can’t they shoot free throws? The offense stands around, very little motion. JMHO.
Steve, IMO poor free throw shooting has been a trademark of Andy’s teams. And I’ve been to several USC practices since he’s been the HC and they really do practice them as much as most teams. I’d hate to think that it’s an issue between their ears — but otherwise I don’t get it.
What absolutely baffles me is that Enfield once held the NCAA record for career free throw percentage at 92.5% with one season at 95% for Johns Hopkins. Why Coach Enfield can’t teach SC players to be better from the charity stripe is a mystery to me.
I just don’t see an SC win tonight, but I would love for Enfield to stick it in Boyle’s face!