In the final regular season of the 2015-16 season, the Trojans fall to the No. 9 Oregon Ducks, 76-66, after a hard-fought battle at the Galen Center. USC now turns its attention to the Pac-12 Tournament, which begins in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
Hit Them With Their Best Shot
The ball just didn't bounce the Trojans' way on Saturday as they tried to upset the best team in the Pac-12 heading into the conference tournament. There were moments when it looked like USC was going to pull off the upset, but down the stretch, the Trojans went cold, from the field and the free throw line, when it mattered most. Saturday's loss was just the sixth time the Trojans scored less than 70 points this season, and they were just 1-5 in those games.
USC started strong with a little spark from the team's only senior Strahinja Gavrilovic, who scored the first four points of the game in his first start this season on Senior Day. The Trojans managed to cut a double-digit first half Oregon lead to seven entering the locker room, and started the second half on a 13-4 run courtesy of tremendous play from freshman Bennie Boatwright. The fast start climaxed with an insane dunk from the human highlight reel Julian Jacobs, but the Ducks demonstrated why they've won 11 of their last 13 games by eventually pulling away in the final minutes to win by 10.
"I think it's good that we know we can battle against Top 10 teams in the country," said redshirt junior Katin Reinhardt, who co-led the team in scoring with 12 points. The last time the Trojans' beat a Top 10 team was on January 9 when they beat the then No. 7 Arizona Wildcats, 103-101, in an instant classic quadruple overtime game.
USC started strong with a little spark from the team's only senior Strahinja Gavrilovic, who scored the first four points of the game in his first start this season on Senior Day. The Trojans managed to cut a double-digit first half Oregon lead to seven entering the locker room, and started the second half on a 13-4 run courtesy of tremendous play from freshman Bennie Boatwright. The fast start climaxed with an insane dunk from the human highlight reel Julian Jacobs, but the Ducks demonstrated why they've won 11 of their last 13 games by eventually pulling away in the final minutes to win by 10.
"I think it's good that we know we can battle against Top 10 teams in the country," said redshirt junior Katin Reinhardt, who co-led the team in scoring with 12 points. The last time the Trojans' beat a Top 10 team was on January 9 when they beat the then No. 7 Arizona Wildcats, 103-101, in an instant classic quadruple overtime game.
What A Difference A Year Makes
This time last season, USC finished the regular season with just three conference wins. Just one year later, the team is heading into the Pac-12 Tournament with an even 9-9 record in conference play. This is also the program's first 20-win season since 2009. At this point last year, the Trojans headed to Vegas with the pressure of needing to win it all to secure an NCAA tournament bid, whereas this season the possibility for some March Madness action is extremely viable already, demonstrating just how far this team has come.
"Two years ago when we came here we came with the goal to improve from year-to-year," said junior Nikola Jovanovic. "Prior to this season, we had a tough two years, but we all learned and grew from it. This year [the goal] was to make a statement."
"Two years ago when we came here we came with the goal to improve from year-to-year," said junior Nikola Jovanovic. "Prior to this season, we had a tough two years, but we all learned and grew from it. This year [the goal] was to make a statement."
Time to Roll the Dice
The Trojans will leave for Las Vegas on Tuesday with a quest for the program's first Pac-12 title on their minds. After Saturday's loss, USC will either be a six- or seven-seed depending on the result of the UCLA/Oregon State game. As a six-seed, the Trojans will face Arizona State in the first round of the tournament that begins on Wednesday, and as a seven-seed, they'll face UCLA in an epic, crosstown rivalry showdown in Sin City.
Check out the SnappyTV highlights from USC's loss including a monster dunk from Julian Jacobs...
