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USC entered the NCAA tournament boasting the Pac-12’s most efficient defense.
When it brought an offense to match, Kansas didn’t stand a chance.
USC smothered Kansas on both sides of the floor Monday, handing the Jayhawks their worst-ever NCAA tournament loss, 85-51. Their previous worst effort was a 60-42 loss to Indiana in the 1940 national title game.
The win caps a dominant weekend for the Pac-12 which sends four of its five entrants in the tournament to the Sweet 16. USC joins UCLA, Oregon and Oregon State in the tournament’s second weekend. Only Colorado, which lost to Florida State on Monday, was eliminated.
USC punched Kansas out of the gate en route to a 40-21 halftime lead. It kept its foot on the gas in the second half of a game where Kansas did not compete. The Trojans were powered by the Mobley brothers who put on a clinic on both sides of the floor.
Freshman center Evan Mobley, a projected lottery pick who swept the Pac-12’s individual awards this season, was a force in the post with 10 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks.
Sophomore forward Isaiah Mobley led the scoring effort with 17 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists. He paced a red-hot shooting effort, hitting 4-of-5 3-pointers as the Trojans went 11-of-18 from deep.
The win sets up a Pac-12 showdown with Oregon in next weekend’s Sweet 16.
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