USC Rises To Second In Pac-12 After Lopsided Win Over Stanford
USC never took their foot off the gas as they led wire-to-wire in 79 - 42 blowout over Stanford.
Drew Peterson flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. Tahj Eaddy had himself a strong game as well, burying four treys en route to scoring 16 points.
Coach Andy Enfield had high praise for the Rice University transfer in his postgame presser, “He’s a very good basketball player. He went into a little slump, he’s out of that slump now which is great for us because he’s playing at a high level. I think he showed his versatility tonight in a variety of ways with what he can do on the floor.”
Peterson and the rest of the Trojans put on a clinic in their last game of the season at the Galen Center.
USC was like an experienced boxer wearing you down with body shots the way they attacked Stanford in the first half. They repeatedly bludgeoned the Cardinals interior defense by scoring 22 points in the paint compared to just four for Stanford.
With the Trojans defense matching the intensity of the offense, USC was able to build a 19-point lead heading into the half. And that would be all the Trojans needed to finish the Cardinals off.
After only knocking down two first half threes, USC went 7-of-11 from the perimeter in the second half. The ball was moving effortlessly around the court. It felt like everyone who got an open look capitalized on the opportunity.
If there was anything to be concerned with coming out of tonight’s game, Evan Mobley scored under 15 points for the fourth consecutive game. But with all his teammates stepping up tonight, Mobley didn’t have to carry his usual heavy workload.
It was an overall balanced attack by the Trojans.
With this win and the loss tonight by UCLA, USC moves into second place in the Pac-12. If the Trojans want to hold onto that spot they will need to beat the Bruins in their last regular season game of the year Saturday afternoon. And if they want the top spot in the conference, they need to beat the Bruins AND they need Oregon to lose their last game of the season to Oregon State.
Since USC doesn’t control their own destiny when it comes to being No. 1 in the conference, coach Enfield would rather his team focus on the task in front of them, “We understand how hard it is to win at UCLA. We’re just going to focus on what we can control and that’s to prepare as best as we can and as hard as we can.”
The Trojans shouldn’t be too focused on where they are seeded. They have a consensus top-3 draft pick, and arguably the best defense in college basketball. They’re going to be a wrecking ball no matter where they are slotted.
Final: USC 79, Stanford 42
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