Arizona is back in action tonight and the Wildcats will be shorthanded as they take on USC in Los Angeles at Galen Center. The Wildcats are looking for a win after losing to Oregon over the weekend.
As always I welcome you to join the conversation and follow along for updates from the press area at Galen Center.
Pregame
- Arizona will be without starting guard Josh Green tonight as he did not make the trip to LA with the rest of the team. He is dealing with an SI Joint sprain in his lower back after his fall against the Ducks on Saturday night.
- I was informed minutes before tip off officially that reserve guard Max Hazzard is also out for tonight's game against USC. He made the trip but did not go through warmups with the rest of the team. Officials from UA said he is being held out for "personal reasons" but did not disclose any more about the situation.
Starters
Arizona: Nico Mannion, Dylan Smith, Stone Gettings, Ira Lee, Zeke Nnaji
USC: Jonah Mathews, Daniel Utomi, Ethan Anderson, Nick Rakocevic, Onyeka Okongwu
1st half
- Utomi hits a jumper to open the game; Zeke Nnaji hits for the Wildcats to even the score; Dylan Smith hits a 3-pointer from the left wing to give UA a lead; Ira Lee hits a tough shot for the Wildcats; Nico Mannion scores for the Wildcats on a strong take to the hoop and UA goes up 7 points in the early going; Ethan Anderson hits for the Trojans; Anderson gets a steal and another bucket to make it a 3-point game [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 9 USC 6 - 15:42]
- Isaiah Mobley hits a 3-pointer to tie up the game; Utomi hits again for the Trojans to give his team a lead; Jonah Mathews hits a jumper and it is now an 11-0 run for USC; Jemarl Baker Jr. hits a 3-pointer for the Wildcats to cut the lead to 1 [SCORE UPDATE: USC 13 Arizona 12 - 11:00]
- Chase Jeter connects on a layup in the paint to give UA its lead back; Ethan Anderson makes one of two from the line for the Trojans to tie it at 14; Jeter blocked by Okongwu and Anderson scores on the other end after the strong defensive play by USC [SCORE UPDATE: USC 16 Arizona 14 - 7:52]
- Okongwu finally gets a shot to fall for the Trojans; Stone Gettings gets steal and Baker finds Lee in transition for a big dunk to end a long scoring drought for the Wildcats [SCORE UPDATE: USC 18 Arizona 16 - 3:50]
- Nnaji fouled and he hits one of two from the line to make it a 1-point game; Baker takes it baseline and gets a layup to give the Wildcats a lead after a rebound on the missed free throw from Nnaji; Ira Lee fouled and he hits both free throws and he has 6 points to lead UA as the Wildcats are on a 7-0 run; Elijah Weaver slices through the UA defense and connects on a layup to end the UA run cutting the lead to 1 point in favor of the Wildcats; Weaver hits a 3-pointer from straight away and the Trojans have the lead back; Mannion misses a last second shot and Okongwu heaves up a long-distance shot from about 70 feet and nails it for the Trojans
Halftime: USC - 26 Arizona - 21
2nd half
- Mathews fouled by Mannion and he hits one of two from the line; Wildcats get the ball to Nnaji in the paint and he connects for a layup and he now has 5 points in the game for UA; Mannion splits the defense for an easy layup and the Wildcats are within a couple points now; Mobley left wide open and he hits another 3-pointer for the Trojans; Mannion finds Nnaji at the free-throw line for for an easy jumper and the Wildcats cut the lead to 3; Mobley with a layup and he now has 8 points as the lead is back up to 5 points for the Trojans [SCORE UPDATE: USC 32 Arizona 27 - 15:52]
- Okongwu with a tough shot at the rim and he gets it to go for the Trojans and the lead is now up to 7 points; Nnaji hits for the Wildcats on the other end to answer for UA; Mathews hits on a floater for USC to push the lead back up to 7 points; Jeter fouled and he hits both free throws for the Wildcats; Okongwu fouled by Jeter and he hits both free throws; Mannion fouled and he hits one of two from the line for the Wildcats; Utomi hits a corner 3-pointer for USC and the lead is up to 9 points for the Trojans [SCORE UPDATE: USC 41 Arizona 32 - 11:46]
- Mannion fouled shooting a 3-pointer and he hits all three shots making it a 6-point game; Utomi hits again on a jumper with a mismatch against Gettings and he now has 9 points; Mannion hits a 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock to make it a 5-point game [SCORE UPDATE: USC 43 Arizona 38 - 7:23]
- Mathews hits for the Trojans; Nnaji with pass from Gettings and he connects for the Wildcats and he now has 11 points; Weaver hits a jumper to push the lead up to 7 points again for USC; Nnaji fouled and he hits both and now leads the team with 13 points; Gettings hits a jumper for the Wildcats; Mathews hits a corner 3-pointer and the lead is back up by 5 [SCORE UPDATE: USC 50 Arizona 44 - 3:24]
- Nnaji fouled and he hits both free throws and he now has 15 points for UA; Mathews fouled and he hits a couple free throws and now has 12 points; Okongwu fouled on a play at the rim and he makes both shots to make it an 8-point game; Weaver is fouled and he makes one of two at the line; Mathews fouled and he hits both free throws for the Trojans and it's an 11-point game; Gettings hits a jumper for the Wildcats
Final: USC 57 Arizona 48
As always I welcome you to join the conversation and follow along for updates from the press area at Galen Center.
Pregame
- Arizona will be without starting guard Josh Green tonight as he did not make the trip to LA with the rest of the team. He is dealing with an SI Joint sprain in his lower back after his fall against the Ducks on Saturday night.
- I was informed minutes before tip off officially that reserve guard Max Hazzard is also out for tonight's game against USC. He made the trip but did not go through warmups with the rest of the team. Officials from UA said he is being held out for "personal reasons" but did not disclose any more about the situation.
Starters
Arizona: Nico Mannion, Dylan Smith, Stone Gettings, Ira Lee, Zeke Nnaji
USC: Jonah Mathews, Daniel Utomi, Ethan Anderson, Nick Rakocevic, Onyeka Okongwu
1st half
- Utomi hits a jumper to open the game; Zeke Nnaji hits for the Wildcats to even the score; Dylan Smith hits a 3-pointer from the left wing to give UA a lead; Ira Lee hits a tough shot for the Wildcats; Nico Mannion scores for the Wildcats on a strong take to the hoop and UA goes up 7 points in the early going; Ethan Anderson hits for the Trojans; Anderson gets a steal and another bucket to make it a 3-point game [SCORE UPDATE: Arizona 9 USC 6 - 15:42]
- Isaiah Mobley hits a 3-pointer to tie up the game; Utomi hits again for the Trojans to give his team a lead; Jonah Mathews hits a jumper and it is now an 11-0 run for USC; Jemarl Baker Jr. hits a 3-pointer for the Wildcats to cut the lead to 1 [SCORE UPDATE: USC 13 Arizona 12 - 11:00]
- Chase Jeter connects on a layup in the paint to give UA its lead back; Ethan Anderson makes one of two from the line for the Trojans to tie it at 14; Jeter blocked by Okongwu and Anderson scores on the other end after the strong defensive play by USC [SCORE UPDATE: USC 16 Arizona 14 - 7:52]
- Okongwu finally gets a shot to fall for the Trojans; Stone Gettings gets steal and Baker finds Lee in transition for a big dunk to end a long scoring drought for the Wildcats [SCORE UPDATE: USC 18 Arizona 16 - 3:50]
- Nnaji fouled and he hits one of two from the line to make it a 1-point game; Baker takes it baseline and gets a layup to give the Wildcats a lead after a rebound on the missed free throw from Nnaji; Ira Lee fouled and he hits both free throws and he has 6 points to lead UA as the Wildcats are on a 7-0 run; Elijah Weaver slices through the UA defense and connects on a layup to end the UA run cutting the lead to 1 point in favor of the Wildcats; Weaver hits a 3-pointer from straight away and the Trojans have the lead back; Mannion misses a last second shot and Okongwu heaves up a long-distance shot from about 70 feet and nails it for the Trojans
Halftime: USC - 26 Arizona - 21
2nd half
- Mathews fouled by Mannion and he hits one of two from the line; Wildcats get the ball to Nnaji in the paint and he connects for a layup and he now has 5 points in the game for UA; Mannion splits the defense for an easy layup and the Wildcats are within a couple points now; Mobley left wide open and he hits another 3-pointer for the Trojans; Mannion finds Nnaji at the free-throw line for for an easy jumper and the Wildcats cut the lead to 3; Mobley with a layup and he now has 8 points as the lead is back up to 5 points for the Trojans [SCORE UPDATE: USC 32 Arizona 27 - 15:52]
- Okongwu with a tough shot at the rim and he gets it to go for the Trojans and the lead is now up to 7 points; Nnaji hits for the Wildcats on the other end to answer for UA; Mathews hits on a floater for USC to push the lead back up to 7 points; Jeter fouled and he hits both free throws for the Wildcats; Okongwu fouled by Jeter and he hits both free throws; Mannion fouled and he hits one of two from the line for the Wildcats; Utomi hits a corner 3-pointer for USC and the lead is up to 9 points for the Trojans [SCORE UPDATE: USC 41 Arizona 32 - 11:46]
- Mannion fouled shooting a 3-pointer and he hits all three shots making it a 6-point game; Utomi hits again on a jumper with a mismatch against Gettings and he now has 9 points; Mannion hits a 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock to make it a 5-point game [SCORE UPDATE: USC 43 Arizona 38 - 7:23]
- Mathews hits for the Trojans; Nnaji with pass from Gettings and he connects for the Wildcats and he now has 11 points; Weaver hits a jumper to push the lead up to 7 points again for USC; Nnaji fouled and he hits both and now leads the team with 13 points; Gettings hits a jumper for the Wildcats; Mathews hits a corner 3-pointer and the lead is back up by 5 [SCORE UPDATE: USC 50 Arizona 44 - 3:24]
- Nnaji fouled and he hits both free throws and he now has 15 points for UA; Mathews fouled and he hits a couple free throws and now has 12 points; Okongwu fouled on a play at the rim and he makes both shots to make it an 8-point game; Weaver is fouled and he makes one of two at the line; Mathews fouled and he hits both free throws for the Trojans and it's an 11-point game; Gettings hits a jumper for the Wildcats
Final: USC 57 Arizona 48
