Tag: Boogie Ellis

Boogie is back! Boogie Ellis makes surprising decision to return to USC

Plain talk: We thought Boogie Ellis was headed for the NBA. Nope. We were wrong. He’s coming back. Huge news for #USC hoops.

Oh my goodness. Wow. Is this real? Yes it is. Boogie Ellis, whom we certainly thought was heading for the NBA draft later this year, has decided he wants to play college basketball for one more season. Ellis, taking advantage of an extra year of COVID eligibility and — presumably — NIL opportunities in the reshaped world of college sports, will return to USC for the 2023-2024 season, according to multiple reports on Saturday afternoon.

This is a game-changer for USC basketball. The Trojans can still use a big piece in the transfer portal, to be sure, but we had previously thought that USC’s top need was going to be a shooter, someone on the perimeter who could work with incoming point guard Isaiah Collier.

Now, Boogie Ellis becomes that player. USC has elite-level perimeter scoring ability and a backcourt which should be very formidable next season.

The new calculus in the transfer portal is for the Trojans to get a stretch four, a frontcourt player who can shoot and extend defenses while also providing defensive versatility.

Because of USC’s many transfers — Reese Dixon-Waters, Malik Thomas, and Iaroslav Niagu — there are still open roster slots even with Boogie coming back.

Now we have to wait and see if this decision by Boogie helps Bronny James come to USC.

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Drew Peterson, Boogie Ellis end magnificent USC careers

It’s not the way they wanted their careers to end, but Drew Peterson and Boogie Ellis did a lot for #USC hoops. Salute!

The USC Trojans lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to the Michigan State Spartans 72-62. With that, Andy Enfield’s team goes home early, and Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson see their impressive USC careers come to an end.

Peterson has played in three NCAA Tournaments, and Boogie Ellis emerged as the primary scorer over the past two seasons, although this ending was not what anybody was hoping for.

The Peterson-Ellis pairing combined for just 17 points in the contest, and the Spartans’ defense wore down both of these players in a tough game all around for USC.

Peterson was a part of the USC team that went to the Elite Eight and lost to Gonzaga. Ellis transferred to USC after beginning his career at Memphis. Ellis endured two first-round losses in his time in Southern California.

Ellis’ final year at USC finished with an average of 18 PPG, including a pair of 30-plus-point outings over the final stretch, and a career-high 35-point game against Arizona at the beginning of March. He gave USC everything he had this season. He was marvelous over the course of the full schedule.

Peterson battled a back injury but was able to suit up for the Trojans in this game against Michigan State, although he went just 4-10 for 11 points with 7 rebounds in the loss. Peterson’s tenure at USC will be remembered for a long time, especially with the role he played in that stunning Elite Eight run.

Nonetheless, hats off to two terrific USC Trojans, Drew Peterson and Boogie Ellis.

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Drew Peterson and Boogie Ellis prepare for last NCAA Tournament run

Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson, two great #USC Trojans, will try to prolong their careers at least until Sunday. #MarchMadness

The emotion and poignancy of the NCAA Tournament are connected to several different realities, but the main one is that in 40 short scoreboard minutes — two hours of real time — many great collegiate basketball careers come to an abrupt end.

The finality is immediate in college basketball, and this finality exists on a level college football can’t match.

Football games are nearly four hours long. Reality has a much longer time to set in. Also, football has individual bowl games, a one-game postseason. The NCAA Tournament lasts six games for the teams good enough to make the national championship game. It lasts three weeks for the teams good enough to make the Final Four. We don’t know if a college career will last one game or three weeks. That’s why the end stings, especially when it comes so early.

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Two great USC Trojans will try to avoid that abrupt end this week in Columbus, Ohio. Maybe they can lead USC to the Sweet 16 next week. At the very least, they will try to prolong their careers until Sunday afternoon and the second round.

Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson, the two men who have carried the Men of Troy this season, will try to be at their best on Friday against Michigan State, so that USC’s season can march on in March for at least 48 more hours.

Ellis was a superstar against Arizona and Arizona State, scoring a combined 63 points in those two games and stepping up when the Trojans needed to secure their place in this NCAA Tournament.

Drew Peterson has made three straight NCAA Tournaments as a central contributor at USC. He joins a very select group of Trojans (Taj Gibson, Daniel Hackett, Dwight Lewis) and has given himself a lofty place in USC basketball annals.

Hopefully, this big stage brings forth the very best from these two special players. If it doesn’t, it won’t diminish what Boogie and Peterson have accomplished. We simply want them to have a final act which magnifies what they have both done for USC basketball.

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Boogie Ellis, Drew Peterson make All-Pac-12 First Team

Ellis and Peterson fully earned this honor. They have been magnificent this season, carrying #USC to the cusp of the Big Dance.

The USC Trojans wouldn’t be where they are without Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson. Accordingly, they were recognized as deserving members of the All-Pac-12 First Team for 2023.

Ellis scored 28 points to lead USC to a huge win over Arizona State on Saturday night, putting the Trojans on the doorstep of another NCAA Tournament berth. It will be hard for USC to miss the field at this point, and that’s primarily because Boogie Ellis would not let this team lose on a night when Peterson was dealing with back spasms.

Ellis scored 31 points against UCLA in the victory which is most centrally responsible for boosting the Trojans’ NCAA Tournament resume. They wouldn’t be in a good position without that UCLA win. Ellis made that moment happen in late January.

Peterson wasn’t at his best, but he still played through pain and delivered 31 minutes of typically tough defense to put the clamps on Arizona State’s shooters, who did not perform well on Saturday. Peterson is a true Trojan warrior. He reminded everyone that contributions to a team go far beyond the box score. Leadership, hustle, and hard work all enabled USC to beat Arizona State in a game the Trojans had to win.

Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson have carried USC this season, both numerically and intangibly. In their statistical production but also with their maturity and work ethic, Boogie and Peterson have stitched together a roster which has not had a deep bench or an elite, healthy big man. Vince Iwuchukwu did not play the first two months of the season. He wasn’t able to play against Arizona State.

No worries: Boogie and Peterson had his back, and they lifted USC through its most difficult games of the season.

Congratulations to two great USC Trojans. The individual successes of Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson can be directly and substantially connected to their team’s overall success, just as it should be.

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Boogie Ellis plays like a superstar on Senior Night, lifts USC to huge win

Drew Peterson played hurt. Vince Iwuchukwu couldn’t play. Boogie Ellis was ready. He scored 28 points to carry the Trojans. #ONIONS

USC thanked Boogie Ellis for all he had done for Trojan basketball these past two seasons.

Then Boogie Ellis brought USC to the doorstep of another NCAA Tournament berth.

It was a beautiful night and a powerful moment for a player who proved his full value to USC basketball, and who showed just how much he has matured and grown this year.

If you follow USC basketball closely, you know and remember the story: Ellis had a bad game against Miami in last year’s NCAA Tournament. He got hurt in that game, but before his injury, he struggled in a big-stage moment. Ethan Anderson provided the more productive minutes against Miami. When Ellis was out, USC played better. Reese Dixon-Waters played big against Miami. Ellis was a non-factor.

When Boogie came back for this 2022-2023 season, it seemed like a surprise to some. USC and Andy Enfield didn’t hammer the transfer portal for a new guard. They were going to ride with Boogie, trusting that he would make significant improvements and become “The Guy” for this team, given that Isaiah Mobley was gone to the pros and Chevez Goodwin would no longer be around to give USC rebounding and defense inside.

This was the Boogie and Drew Peterson show in 2023. Given that Peterson was suffering from back spasms and freshman big man Vince Iwuchukwu couldn’t play due to back soreness against Arizona State — with USC urgently needing one more win to feel reasonably good about its NCAA Tournament chances — it was up to Boogie Ellis to carry USC over the line, or at least up to the line. Boogie scored 35 on Thursday against Arizona. Could he come back and deliver one more big game and make his Senior Night a memorable one?

We all saw the answer to that question.

Ellis scored 28 points, hitting big jumpers and making key free throws, in a 28-point performance which enabled USC to consistently stay ahead of Arizona State and ultimately defeat the Sun Devils, 68-65. The win doesn’t make USC a complete lock for the NCAA Tournament, but it does dramatically raise the odds that the Trojans will be part of the field of 68.

Kijani Wright provided 24 huge minutes for USC with Josh Morgan in foul trouble and Iwuchukwu injured. Tre White contributed 13 huge points off the bench. Kobe Johnson stayed out of foul trouble and gave USC 33 minutes of his hard-nosed defense. They all played crucial parts in this win with Peterson laboring and Iwuchukwu out. Yet, it was Boogie who rose above the moment and gave USC a max-out performance precisely when the Trojans needed it.

USC thanked Boogie on Senior Night. Boogie gave USC its biggest win of the season.

Boogie Ellis was not going to allow USC to lose in the season’s final game at the Galen Center.

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Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson score, Vince Iwuchukwu defends the floor, USC wants more

The Boogie-Peterson show gives #USC big baskets. Vince Iwuchukwu’s defense prevents opponents from getting big baskets. It’s a perfect formula for the Trojans.

The USC Trojans aren’t a complete team just yet, but they’re certainly a more well-rounded team now than they were one month ago.

It doesn’t seem like an accident or idle coincidence that the Trojans are making a push toward the NCAA Tournament with Vince Iwuchukwu having more of a role on this team (or frankly, any role at all).

Without Iwuchukwu, it was clear USC was missing a key piece to the puzzle. The Trojans lacked Vince’s defense, rebounding, length, and size. A constant theme connected to Iwuchukwu since he began playing for this team on January 12 is that he isn’t adding to USC’s numbers or its statistical totals. Iwuchukwu contributes by limiting the statistical output and numerical advantages of opponents.

When Vince the Prince comes into a game, the opponent stops collecting offensive rebounds and second-chance points. Opponents don’t get easy baskets. They don’t get lots of free throws. The game becomes harder for opponents when Iwuchukwu is on the floor for USC.

Iwuchukwu made the defining plays of this game, even though Boogie Ellis (23 points) and Drew Peterson (20 points) made the game’s most important baskets for the Trojans. Boogie and Drew scored in crunch time, but Iwuchukwu prevented Washington State from scoring down the stretch.

With 1:50 left, Washington State trailed USC by three, 71-68. Iwuchukwu blocked one shot at the rim, but then recovered to block another shot on the perimeter, forcing a shot-clock violation with 1:20 left. Peterson then hit the dagger 3-pointer to give USC a 74-68 cushion with 52 seconds to go.

Iwuchukwu doesn’t have to score; his backcourt teammates can do that. As long as Iwuchukwu can defend and rebound, USC is getting what it absolutely needs from him. Stuffing an opponent’s jump shot is as good as making a basket at the other end of the court.

Boogie and Peterson get it done on offense, Iwuchukwu on defense. Now that USC has a fuller roster, it is much more like the team Andy Enfield hoped to have all season.

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Boogie Ellis scores 27 second-half points, puts USC on his back in season-defining game

The 2nd-half score on Thursday: Boogie Ellis 27, UCLA 27. That’s how great Boogie was. He was there for his team in a moment of supreme importance. #ONIONS

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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USC rocks UCLA with second-half surge, takes huge step toward 2023 NCAA Tournament

It was a season-defining game, a true gut-check moment. #USC answered the call with a stunning 52-27 second-half demolition of UCLA. Statement made.

In the first of two games this season between USC and UCLA, the Trojans fell behind by 16 points before uncorking a furious second-half rally for a two-point lead in the final minute. They let that late 58-56 lead slip away and allowed the Bruins to snatch a victory from their grasp in the last 15 seconds.

The smart money suggested that if USC was going to figure out UCLA this season, the Trojans would need to get off to a decent if not great start. Surely they weren’t going to have much of a chance if they fell behind UCLA by 12 points at halftime. Surely UCLA, with its elite defense, was going to keep this game — and the Trojans — under wraps if they got another big lead.

UCLA promptly forged a 37-25 halftime advantage. USC couldn’t shoot. The Trojans attempted only two free throws, so they couldn’t find ways to get cheap points when jump shots weren’t falling.

They looked dead in the water against a UCLA team which was angry after a loss to Arizona on Saturday, January 21.

Surely, USC wasn’t going to be able to complete a massive comeback and fight all the way back, right? UCLA has been locking down opponents late in second halves all season long. Even when losing to Arizona, UCLA held the Wildcats under 60 points.

USC was toast, right?

Boogie Ellis had something to say about that. So did Drew Peterson. So did Vince Iwuchukwu and Kobe Johnson. They all contributed significantly to a shocking 52-27 second-half tsunami. USC didn’t just come back against UCLA; it ran the Bruins out of the Galen Center for a 77-64 thrashing.

Beating UCLA matters. Beating UCLA by 13 points will send USC’s metrics and overall profile soaring past lots of bubble teams. The Trojans not only beat their rival; they took an enormous step toward the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

We can debate whether USC is “off” the bubble or still on it, but we can agree that USC is clearly in the field right now, several spots inside the cut line. There’s a lot of work left to do, but the Trojans’ task is now less about gaining ground, and more about keeping their position. As long as they don’t suffer resume-killing losses which decrease their profile, they will be in good shape.

They get a week to rest up before hosting the Washington schools in the Galen Center. If they can just take care of the teams they are supposed to beat, they will be in the bracket on Selection Sunday, March 12.

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USC thrives late in regulation, beats Washington to move to 11-3 for the season

The Trojans didn’t allow a field goal in a nearly 9-minute stretch late in the game. That and 27 Boogie Ellis points were enough to win. USC is 3-0 in #Pac12 play.

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:

Trojans conclude nonconference slate with victory over Colorado State, move to 10-3

The #USC Trojans have significantly improved their NCAA Tournament resume over the past four days. They hope Colorado State wins the Mountain West.

The USC Trojans basketball team continues to win games in the month of December and has now moved its winning streak to six after defeating the Colorado State Rams on Wednesday, 73-64, at the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix.

Just a few days after a signature win against Auburn, Andy Enfield’s team  took care of business before Christmas, with the Pac-12 Conference schedule kicking off on December 30 against Washington.

The Trojans had four players finish in double figures against Colorado State. Boogie Ellis led the way with 19 points and Drew Peterson was right behind with 18. Peterson scored 14 in the second half, powering USC to the win.

Patrick Cartier led the way for the Rams and had a game-high 22 points on 8-10 shooting from the field in the loss. USC led most of the way but had one big dry spell on offense in each half, making the game more dramatic than it needed to be. That’s often how Andy Enfield’s USC teams go about their business, but Enfield’s teams usually get things straightened out before it’s too late. Such was the case on Wednesday night.

Peterson was named MVP of the game with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals in a well-balanced offensive attack for USC.

The Trojans shot well on offense, finishing 53.1 percent from the field and 47.4 beyond the arc. Colorado State won the free throw battle, shooting at an 82.6 percent clip while the Trojans shot just 63.2 percent.

Colorado State’s star player, Isaiah Stevens, was contained in this game. He finished with 15 points on 5-15 shooting and was held without a 3-pointer all game long.

USC will have more than a week off until the Washington game. The Huskies lost to Auburn on Wednesday night. The Trojans just defeated the Tigers and will have a lot to study on film when they watch U-Dub versus Auburn.

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