The USC Trojans had everything going their way midway through the second half of Friday night’s Pac-12 Conference game against the Washington Huskies. USC led 53-46 with 12:45 left. The Trojans were getting the shots they wanted against Washington’s defense. They were preventing the Huskies from being comfortable at the offensive end of the floor. USC was generating balanced scoring, with several different players scoring seven or more points.
Then it happened. It happens in nearly every USC game against a non-cream puff opponent.
For several minutes, the Trojans go through a lull in which they turn the ball over, they lose track of an opponent’s hot shooter, and they struggle to score.
It happened against Washington: USC allowed a 12-2 Husky run and fell behind 58-55 with 10 minutes left. The Trojans do not have a large margin for error right now. They have to build their resume and create a cushion. They don’t currently have one in the pursuit of an NCAA Tournament bid. It was essential to at least split these games in the state of Washington, and it would have been extremely concerning if the Trojans had to go to Pullman on Sunday having to win just to get a split. They needed a win in Seattle to create the possibility of a road sweep, which would put this team in a much better position to get an NCAA bid.
The Trojans got the job done, turning things around in the final 10 minutes to win 80-67. Here are some relevant notes on how they pulled through against Washington: