That was a scrap, and if you follow women’s college basketball, you knew it would be. USC knew it would face a rugged, tough, intense battle against the Arizona Wildcats. Arizona made the national championship game three years ago for a reason. Adia Barnes is one of the best teachers of defense in the United States. Arizona might not shoot all that well, and it might not have JuJu Watkins, but it plays defense. It always plays defense. Arizona is a highly annoying team to play against, a statement which is meant as a rich compliment to the Wildcats. They leave everything on the court. Beating them requires every last ounce of energy and concentration.
USC brought the tenacity and clarity it needed to overcome a highly motivated Arizona team and a highly flawed performance on Thursday night in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. The Trojans, who led by 13 early and then trailed by four late in the third quarter, pulled through for a 65-62 win which sends them to Friday night’s semifinals in Las Vegas. There’s plenty to talk about. Let’s do it below:
USC took a quick 15-2 lead but then bogged down as Arizona got its teeth into the Trojans’ offense. Arizona’s defense flustered USC and put the Trojans in the mud for the next two quarters. Arizona grabbed a 40-36 lead late in the third quarter. Everything about the game was going in the Wildcats’ direction. The fact that we’re sitting here taking in a USC win is proof enough of this team’s toughness and resilience. USC has its flaws, but the toughness is greater than the flaws. We’ve seen this on a consistent basis in 2024.
How bad was USC’s ball-handling in the first two and a half quarters? The Trojans committed 18 turnovers in the first 22.5 minutes of the game. Their ability to merely reduce mistakes and not give Arizona added possessions was a central reason they won. USC finished with 21 turnovers — way more than what is acceptable, but also a product of committing just three turnovers in the final 17 minutes. Reducing mistakes was essential to a USC win.
JuJu Watkins didn’t shoot great — she was 0 of 6 from 3-point range — but she wasn’t horrible, either. JuJu has had games this season in which she has missed 19 or 20 or even 26 field goal attempts. She missed only nine in this game (in 14 attempts).
USC shot the ball a lot better than Arizona, but almost lost because of all those turnovers and added possessions it gave to the Wildcats. The U of A took 62 shots from the field, USC only 50. However, despite a minus-12 shot differential, the Trojans nearly matched Arizona in made field goals (24-23, Wildcats). Once USC stopped giving Arizona the ball, the difference in shooting percentage and overall efficiency gave the Trojans the edge. If shot attempts had been even in this game, USC probably would have won in a blowout.
Rayah Marshall continues to play winning basketball for USC. She posted 15 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, and blocked three shots. She is playing the way the Trojans need her to play. Friday, she will get a test regardless of USC’s opponent, Utah or UCLA.
McKenzie Forbes and Kayla Padilla are winners because they always play great defense, no matter what is happening at the offensive end of the floor. They do not let bad shooting or minimal offensive involvement affect their defense and effort. That defense helped USC win this game, and that has to be mentioned prominently. However: If USC is going to make a run in March Madness and win a Sweet 16 or Elite Eight game against a top-tier opponent, Forbes and Padilla will have to make more shots. Forbes will also have to minimize turnovers (she committed six against Arizona).
Taylor Bigby hit three 3-pointers for USC, helping the Trojans stay in front in the first half and making the 40-minute game easier to manage for Lindsay Gottlieb. That’s the bench production the Trojans will need in March.
Kaitlyn Davis didn’t have an amazing night, but she scored six points midway through the second half to change the trajectory of the game and help USC build a six-point lead (48-42) it was able to then protect down the stretch. Everyone contributed to this win.
USC advances to play Utah or UCLA in Friday’s late (second) semifinal. JuJu Watkins played 34 minutes, close to her season average, against Arizona. Will she be fresh enough to thrive on short rest? That’s a central question facing her and the Trojans in the Pac-12 Tournament semis.
USC’s semifinal will be the last Pac-12 Conference women’s basketball game shown on Pac-12 Network. Sunday’s championship game is on ESPN. It’s the end of an era. The Trojans hope to create a winning sendoff on Pac-12 Network.
If USC wins its Friday semifinal at the Pac-12 Tournament, it will be in the hunt for a No. 1 seed on Selection Sunday. If USC wins on Friday and then captures the Pac-12 Tournament championship on Sunday, it will very likely be a No. 1 seed.
USC is assured of hosting opening-round games for the 2024 Women’s NCAA Tournament. The specific information will be revealed in a week and a half, but we can tell you right now: USC will host either on Friday-Sunday, March 22 and 24, or Saturday-Monday, March 23 and 25. File those dates away.