USC faced a challenging game against Minnesota, marked by emotional significance for coach Eric Musselman. Despite leading for a majority of the match and holding a 14-point advantage at one point, USC faltered late, allowing Minnesota to seize victory 69-66. This loss severely threatens USC’s NCAA tournament hopes, pushing them off the bubble as they prepare for a tough two-game road trip. Key players struggled with turnovers, which ultimately proved detrimental as Minnesota capitalized on USC's mistakes in the closing minutes of the game.
"We're off the bubble," Musselman said about where USC's NCAA tournament hopes stand. "We have a two-game road trip coming up... The importance of this game was monumental."
USC led the game for 36 minutes, and had a margin of 14 points, before late-game mistakes allowed Minnesota to come back in the second half.
With the score tied at 59-59, Wesley Yates III hit a three-pointer... but USC couldn’t maintain their momentum as Minnesota executed their late-game strategy.
USC's loss to Minnesota complicates their NCAA tournament aspirations, showcasing issues of consistency and late-game execution pivotal to winning close matchups.
Collection
[
|
...
]