USC Advances To Elite Eight Following Victory Over Oregon
USC came into Sunday nights matchup ready to compete, and they dominated Oregon for a 82-68 victory to earn a trip to the Elite Eight.
The Trojans length smothered the Pac-12's leader in three-point percentage (38%). The Ducks were only able to knock down 5-of-21 shots from the perimeter, and shot just 37.7% from the field.
Chris Duarte and Eugene Omoruyi combined for 49 points on 17-of-35 shooting, but the rest of the team mustered 19 points total.
USC on the other hand couldn't miss from three once again. Their hot shooting against Kansas seemed like a fluke, but it actually might be a trend. The Trojans shot 10-of-17 from distance led by Isaiah White (four threes, 22 points) and Tahj Eaddy (three threes, 20 points).
The Mobley brothers didn't need to takeover this one with the supporting cast stepping up in a big way. Evan Mobley was still able to stuff the stat sheet by scoring 10 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and racking up six dimes with the defense constantly collapsing on him.
As always he played stellar defense around the rim, swatting two Oregon shots.
Before the postgame presser ended, coach Andy Enfield had to mention what a positive force Evan Mobley has been on the season, "Evan Mobley was our fourth leading scorer tonight but, he had six assists. And against Kansas he was our fifth leading scorer and had five assists, so that just goes to show you how unselfish player Evan Mobley is and what a great player he is."
"When your most talented offensive player is your most unselfish and willing passer, you can win a lot of games like that."
Isaiah Mobley, was able to show off his full arsenal of skills that every NBA team would want in a modern big. He was handling the ball, taking it coast-to-coast, and making his presence felt around the rim.
When asked about the growth that he's seen from his team throughout the season, coach Enfield couldn't stop gushing about the camaraderie surrounding his guys, "It doesn't happen too often, but it's hard to think of a day we didn't enjoy walking into the gym and practicing and getting after it this year because - our players bring energy, they compete, we have very hard practices, but they're also so much fun to be around. I can't say enough about this team on how they came together."
USC now heads into their first Elite Eight in 20 years, and their second in 65+ years.
This next matchup will be by far their hardest of the season with a contest against the top-seeded and undefeated Gonzaga Bulldogs.
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