LAS VEGAS – The plan was to clog the middle. Facing a Utah frontline that boasted a 7-foot, future NBA lottery pick in Jakob Poeltl, USC threw as many bodies into the interior as it could. It dared Utah to win from the perimeter, hoping that would be enough to keep its Pac-12 Tournament hopes alive and erase any doubt about its future in March.
For the first 11 minutes of USC’s Pac-12 quarterfinal matchup Thursday night, the strategy was working wonders. Then, swiftly and without warning, it wasn’t. At all.
Utah (25-7) proceeded to rain jumpers on USC’s defense, hitting 12 of its last 13 shots to end the first half, and picking up right where it left off after halftime.