Go back to the 2022 NCAA Tournament loss against Miami. Boogie Ellis was injured and ineffective for USC with the nation watching. Ethan Anderson played most of the important second-half minutes. The one-and-done nature of March Madness is cruel; if things don’t go well in one 40-minute chunk of time, a young basketball player has to live all offseason with the weight of knowing that his moment in the spotlight did not bring the fulfillment and joy it promised.
At least Boogie Ellis’s college career wasn’t done, however. When a senior absorbs that kind of performance in March Madness, it’s the last memory he takes with him from a collegiate career. Ellis had another go-round, and he wanted to make memories at USC instead of transferring elsewhere. He stuck with the program. He endured the ups and downs.
He was waiting for a moment just like this.
He was waiting for a moment like the one he faced in the second half.
USC, down 12 at halftime, used a 27-6 run powered by Ellis to take a 52-43 lead with over 11 minutes left. UCLA chopped that lead down to 56-54 with 3:33 to go.
Who would answer the call for the Trojans and stop the UCLA run in a game USC absolutely had to win?
Boogie Ellis was ready for this moment.
He hit a tough turnaround jumper with 3:33 left to give USC a 58-54 lead. After teammate Drew Peterson hit a tough jump shot of his own to restore a four-point advantage with 2:35 left, Boogie hit a dagger 3-pointer with 1:25 to go push the Trojans’ lead to nine at 65-56.
A career-high 31 points? That’s special on any night. Against UCLA with an NCAA Tournament berth on the table? That’s an epic achievement.
Boogie Ellis gave USC fans, Andy Enfield, and himself a huge reward for his perseverance. If he can stay the course, Boogie Ellis should get another chance to put his stamp on March Madness and write a different ending to his USC story.
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