The USC Trojans simply had to win this game if they wanted to have a realistic shot at the 2023 NCAA Tournament. They needed to beat the Auburn Tigers on Sunday to show they could win a significant nonconference game against a high-quality opponent.
They got the job done.
Boogie Ellis threw down 28 points, Kobe Johnson collected six steals, and the Trojans forced 23 Auburn turnovers in a 74-71 win in the Galen Center on Sunday afternoon. Boogie was the leader this team needed, but the supporting-cast efforts of Kobe Johnson, Joshua Morgan, and Tre White in particular were enough to help USC beat an Auburn team which is expected to contend for the SEC championship. USC certainly hopes Auburn will thrive, because the Trojans need this win to look really good in a few months.
If it does, the value of this Auburn win will wipe away the negative value of that horrid loss to Florida Gulf Coast, the one true blemish on USC’s resume. The Trojans’ other losses, to Wisconsin and Tennessee, aren’t bad losses. They were failures to boost the resume, but they aren’t outright deficits. The Trojans didn’t have anything to recommend them for March Madness. Now they do. That’s the importance of this Auburn win.
USC was clinging to a 61-59 lead with just under four minutes left when Reese Dixon-Waters grabbed a crucial offensive rebound. Kobe Johnson hit two free throws shortly thereafter. Joshua Morgan added a dunk. USC took a four-point lead into the final 2:30. Ellis, who was 9 of 15 from the field and played brilliantly, locked down the game at the free throw line in the closing moments.
USC next faces Colorado State Wednesday night in Phoenix before moving into Pac-12 play.
[mm-video type=video id=01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa playlist_id=none player_id=01f5k5y2jb3twsvdg4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa/01gm9qwfp301nx1fxmsa-5f1ce800029f353b16aab280fdc8f9aa.jpg]
[listicle id=54095]