The USC Trojans entered the Pac-12 Tournament with a ton of promise. After their first game, they saw it come to a crushing end, and now they wait anxiously for Selection Sunday to see whether they will be in the NCAA Tournament and, more likely, whether they will have to go to Dayton for the First Four.
Arizona State beat USC, 77-72, in the final game of the night in Las Vegas, and the Trojans’ Pac-12 Tournament woes added another chapter to the book.
Fortunately for USC, the Trojans should still be in the field of 68 despite this loss. Joe Lunardi had USC as a 10-seed in his update going into this game. However, it’s worth noting that USC has just one Pac-12 Tournament championship in 25 Pac-12 Tournaments. The Trojans have just one appearance in the Pac-12 final in the last 13 Pac-12 Tournaments. The Trojans have very rarely played well at this event. Thursday continued that story.
To make matters worse, this is Andy Enfield’s first first-game loss since 2014.
USC came into the tournament this year with five wins in the last six games, and that one loss coming to Arizona by six points. However, the Sun Devils played spoiler, and the struggles in Las Vegas appeared once again.
Is it USC’s motivation for the conference tournament? Was this year different with USC seemingly locked into the field?
Who knows, but it’s not a good look for Andy Enfield and USC.
USC is ousted from the Pac-12 tournament by Arizona State in a 77-72 loss that wasn’t that close for most of the game.
This is the first time USC has lost in its opening game of the Pac-12 tournament since 2014, Andy Enfield’s first season.
— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) March 10, 2023
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