Video: USC Stuns No. 11 Arizona And Creates Smallest Court Storm Ever
Court-storm!
Score: USC 89, No. 11 Arizona 78
Star(s): USC: Eric Wise 22 Pts. Byron Wesley 18 Pts.
Arizona: Solomon Hill 21 Pts, 6 Ast, 5 Stl.
Story: After choking away a 15-point lead at Cal and putting up one of their worst performances this year against UCLA, the Trojans bounced back and upset the ranked Wildcats 89-78. It is the first time in two years that the Trojans have defeated a ranked opponent.
USC held the lead through almost the entire game, only giving it up midway through the first half before going on a five-point run and never looking back. The Trojans led by as much as 13 points in the second half and knocked down big shots when they needed to stave off the bursts of offense from Solomon Hill that allowed them to escape sticky situations in the past. The FG percentage says it all: USC 61, Zona 40.
Furthermore, while Wise dominated the night with 22 points, the Trojans had offensive production coming from everyone. 89 points was unheard of when Kevin O’Neill was coaching. Five different USC players scored in the double digits (Wise, Wesley, Jio Fontan, J.T. Terrell, and Aaron Fuller), while Omar Oraby locked down the low post with eight rebounds and five blocks. From top to bottom, it was a complete performance from USC, and a defining victory for Bob Cantu as he tries to go from interim head coach to full-time.
Highlight of the Game: The Smallest Court Storm You Will Ever See
I mean, come on, was there any doubt? My high school had bigger court storms than that one. Still, it doesn’t make it any less sweet. At USC, there are three kinds of students at basketball games: 1.) the ones that only go to the game against UCLA and ones with any special giveaways, 2.) the jerks who go to many games just for the free pizza they hand out to students and then ditch at halftime once they finish eating, and 3.) the 50-60 students that passionately follow the team, go to most if not all the games, and have persevered through the tough times when the Galen Center was only about 20% full. That cult following was rewarded for their loyalty last night. They have waited a long time for a game like this, and they are hoping SC will shock the conference even more when they travel with the team to Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Tournament in two weeks.
Way to go Trojans. I remember what it feels like to beat AZ at home and have students storm the court. twitter.com/davidblu/statu…
— David Blu (@davidblu) February 28, 2013
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