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Pac-12 Tournament Day One: Higher Seeds Sweep, Blowouts Galore

By Sean Bialaszek

Mar 5, 2016; Seattle , WA, USA; General view of a NCAA Wilson basketball with the 100th anniversary Pac-12 logo during a womens semifinal in the Pac-12 Conference tournament at KeyArena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2016; Seattle , WA, USA; General view of a NCAA Wilson basketball with the 100th anniversary Pac-12 logo during a womens semifinal in the Pac-12 Conference tournament at KeyArena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Pac-12 Tournament
March 9, 2016; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Chimezie Metu (4) is defended by UCLA Bruins guard Isaac Hamilton (10) and forward Gyorgy Goloman (14) during the second half of the Pac-12 Conference tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena. The Trojans defeated the Bruins 95-71. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Game 3: #7 USC Trojans vs. #10 UCLA Bruins

The third game of the day featured two Pac-12 teams heading in the wrong direction. UCLA had lost nine of their last 12, including their last four in a row, and USC had dropped six of eight after beginning conference play with seven wins in 10 games. As the 10th seed, UCLA had their lowest ranking ever in conference tournament play.

The Trojans put the Bruins on the ropes early, jumping out to an 11-0 lead in the first two minutes before UCLA head coach Steve Alford called the first timeout of the contest. The break was good for UCLA, as they went on a 12-5 run afterwards to get back within four points. USC started throwing big punches again, extending their lead back to double-digits within another few minutes, and swelled as high as 21 through the first 20 minutes. At the end of the half, USC was comfortably in front 48-29.

USC kept the pressure up in the second half, out-muscling a Bruins’ team that looked like a shell of the ones that conference followers have become accustomed to seeing. UCLA wouldn’t get within 15 points of USC the rest of the way, and the Trojans would ease into the final whistle with a 95-71 win.

The Trojans shot extremely well from deep, and were led by freshman Bennie Boatwright. The forward scored a team-high 19 points, and hit five of his nine three-point shots. On the other side, the Bruins shot 38.2 percent from the field, and 31.6 from behind the arc.

After leaving UCLA’s regular season finale against Oregon State with a jaw injury, guard Bryce Alford didn’t look like himself against the Trojans. He scored 11 points, but shot 18.1 percent from the floor, his second-worst shooting game of the season. Alford’s Bruins won’t be in the conference tournament’s second-round for the first time since 2005.

This win completes a three-game sweep for USC over their crosstown rivals, the first time they’ve accomplished that feat since at least 1949. In that span, UCLA has swept USC in three games four times, and in four games four times as well. USC now gets another crack at the Utah Utes, the second-seed that earned a day off on Wednesday. Utah beat the Trojans 80-69 on February 21st, led by Jakob Poeltl‘s 29 points.

Next: Game Four

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