USC: Breaking down the match-ups between Washington and Oregon State
By Jason Reed
The USC Basketball Trojans dropped the final game of the season to crosstown rivals, UCLA. Now, the attention must turn to the Pac-12 Tournament.
In the final game of the regular season, USC and UCLA squared off in the second meeting of the season. UCLA took the game, 83-72, to complete the season sweep of the Trojans. However, this game was not “make or break” for the Trojans and really did not change the outlook of the team. USC was going to be the second-seed in the Pac-12 Tournament regardless of the outcome.
Arizona held the tiebreaker over the Trojans, so even an Arizona loss and USC win would not have done anything. USC held a two-game lead over the rest of the conference as well, so a loss did not negatively impact the standings. While the Trojans did lose bragging rights that may come into consideration for the NCAA Men’s National Championship Tournament, there are no Pac-12 implications.
As the second seed USC will enjoy a first-round bye in the tournament and square off against the winner of either Washington or Oregon State. As the tenth and seventh seed, this game should be entertaining and either team should give the Trojans a good challenge.
That game is set to take place on Wednesday, March 7 at 6 p.m. PT. The following day, also at 6 p.m., the Trojans will meet the winner.
The two teams bring entirely different looks to the table in the second round of the Pac-12 Tournament. Thus, let’s break down what exactly either match-up will look like for USC.