USC participated in the NCAA Tournament with the Pac-12’s most effective defense.
When it brought an offense, Kansas did not stand a chance.
USC, No. 6 seed, smothered Kansas 3 seeds on both sides of the floor on Monday and handed over the Jayhawks their worst NCAA tournament loss ever, 85-51. Their previous worst attempt was a 60-42 loss to Indiana in the national title game in 1940.
Pac-12 continues to roll
The win is a dominant weekend for the Pac-12, sending four of its five tournament participants to the Sweet 16. USC joins UCLA, Oregon and Oregon in the second weekend of the tournament. Only Colorado, which lost to the state of Florida on Monday, was eliminated.
Kansas did not stand a chance
USC knocked Kansas out of the gate en route to a 40-21 lead. It kept its foot on the gas in the second half of a game where Kansas did not compete. The Trojans were powered by the Mobley brothers who set up a clinic on either side of the floor.
First-year center Evan Mobley, a predicted NBA lottery that won the Pac-12 Individual Awards, was a force in the mail with 10 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. He added five assistants.
Sophomore forward Isaiah Mobley led the points table by 17 points with eight rebounds and four assists. He hit a red-hot shooting attempt and hit 4-of-5 three-pointers.
The Trojans fired light from the field and committed 57.1% of their field goals. They were even better from deep down and made 11-out-18 (61.1%) attempts. And their defense was probably better.
USC halted Kansas offense
USC kept Kansas out of the field with a 29% shooting grip. Marcus Garrett, with 15 points, was the only Jayhawk to score in double figures.
Full Big 12 forward David McCormack rejoined the starting lineup on Monday after posting 22 points and nine rebounds off the bench in his return from a match with COVID-19 in the victory in the opening round of East Washington Saturday. He was a non-factor in 22 minutes with five points and four rebounds.
Jalen Wilson returned to the series in a limited role, while Tristan Enaruna stayed on the sidelines through the same round of COVID-19s that forced Kansas out of last week’s Big 12 tournament. But it’s hard to imagine Kansas seeing opportunity on Monday with full force. USC was simply in a different league.
The win provides a clash with Oregon in next weekend’s Sweet 16 with Oregon, ensuring the stars of the conference will continue with at least one team in the Elite Eight.
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