"Our home court has not been much of a home-court advantage. There were unfortunate injuries to point to, and continuity issues to contend with. Then there was the pesky problem of Big Ten travel. But none of that rationale, as true or convenient as it might sound, could adequately explain how the Trojans ended up here at their season's nadir, with seven straight losses."
"The seventh of those losses looked strikingly similar to the other six. Once again, USC's defense collapsed in the second half, as UCLA shot better than 60%. And once again, the Trojans' streaky shooting and lack of presence on the glass made it impossible for them to keep up."
"Obviously our struggling down the stretch has not been characteristic of our past programs. It's actually been the exact opposite. Yet at USC, it's all we've seen through two seasons with Musselman at the helm. The Trojans lost eight of 10 to finish out the regular season a year ago."
USC suffered an 89-68 loss to UCLA, extending their losing streak to seven games and effectively ending their NCAA tournament hopes. Coach Eric Musselman attributed the struggles to injuries, continuity issues, Big Ten travel demands, and Galen Center failing to provide home-court advantage despite UCLA fans dominating the arena. The Trojans' defensive collapse in the second half allowed UCLA to shoot over 60%, while USC's inconsistent shooting and rebounding weaknesses prevented them from competing. This pattern mirrors their previous season's collapse, when they lost eight of ten games down the stretch. Musselman acknowledged the struggles contradict USC's historical program standards, noting injuries have been particularly devastating this season.
#ncaa-tournament-elimination #defensive-collapse #injury-impact #home-court-disadvantage #losing-streak
Read at Los Angeles Times
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