Coach Sean Miller, in his postgame radio interview on KCUB 1290-AM, credited his team’s defensive effort.
The offense was a mixed bag, especially with 17 turnovers.
“I look at our offense today that in spite of our crazy turnovers, we executed and had some good shots. Quite frankly, we missed a number of them,” Miller said.
“If we would have made them, we would have had a big, big win. But we’ll take it. Winning on the road is hard. …
“Anytime you’re on the road and you go 2 of 15 from 3 with 17 turnovers and you win it, you’re probably playing a team that’s struggling. Certainly, USC is right now.”
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The Wildcats held USC to 1-of-15 shooting from 3-point range, which is impressive, even if you consider how limited the Trojans are on offense. Perimeter defense is almost always going to be a strength of a Sean Miller team because of his emphasis on ball pressure in his man-to-man defense.
Arizona is allowing opponents to make just 26 percent from behind the arc this season.
“That’s one of the strengths of our team,” Miller said. “It’s such a big difference between winning and losing.”
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I think I nodded off for a while in the second half, but Arizona puts the finishing touches on a 57-46 win at USC to get a split of the road trip.
Jesse Perry was great inside for the Wildcats, too quick and athletic for USC’s big men, scoring 20 points. Solomon Hill had 11 points and 10 rebounds, his fifth double-double.
The 46 points were the fewest by USC against Arizona since the Trojans scored 48 in a 44-point loss to the Wildcats in McKale Center on Jan. 21, 1988.
The Cats improved to 11-5 overall and 2-1 in the Pac-12.
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The Wildcats are close to putting this one in the win column. They are up 53-37 with 5:20 to play and probably don’t have to score again to take home a victory.
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USC cuts the lead to 47-37, or as Fox Sports Net announcer Steve Physioc calls the advantage, “A dozen!”
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USC finally makes a 3-pointer with 10:49 to play but Jesse Perry keeps making the Trojans pay on the other end. He has a team-high 16 points.
USC, meanwhile, is not going away, trailing 47-35 with 9:29 left.
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Ex-Cat Derrick Williams had a career-high 14 points and seven rebounds for the Minnesota Timberwolves today, getting more time than usual because Michael Beasley was out with injury.
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Arizona leads 39-24 with 14:44 to play, and the Trojans are shooting 0 of 11 from 3-point range. What wins this game? Forty-two points?
A good line from Don MacLean, who says the 3-point shooting in this game is an insult to Steve Kerr.
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A sloppy offensive start from Arizona allows USC to score the first six points of the second half. And then Nick Johnson misses a layup.
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Maurice Jones scores four points in the final couple of seconds of the first half, but it’s only enough to cut USC’s deficit to 32-16. After making two free throws, Jones steals the inbounds pass and puts in a layup at the buzzer.
On terms of a record watch, Arizona hasn’t held USC below 44 points since a 34-point win at McKale Center on Jan. 8, 1987.
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Kyle Fogg breaks the shooting drought for the Cats, hitting a 3-pointer in the final minute. Arizona is 1 of 9 from 3-point range. USC is 0 for 7.
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Why does Nick Johnson still have the initial “N.” on the back of his jersey? No need anymore because freshman center Sidiki Johnson is long gone.
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If only Arizona could hit a 3-pointer, this game would just about be over. The Cats start 0 of 6 from behind the arc, although they still lead USC 28-12 with 3:12 to play in the first half.
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This game is giving Arizona fans reason to switch over to watch Tim Tebow on CBS. While Tebow is beating Sean Miller’s Pittsburgh Steelers, Miller’s Wildcats are handling the Trojans, leading 19-8 with 7:39 to play in the half.
Miller liked the way UA played defense in the second half at UCLA; it was the uninspired first half that had him seething. No problem on that end of the court today against USC, which looks as if it could be lucky to hit 40.
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The Trojans are playing ugly on offense, even by their low standards. USC missed 1 of its first 11 shots, helping Arizona take a 15-6 lead with 11:27 to play.
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There is Nick Johnson. The freshman guard was quiet against UCLA, but was completely focused and determined as he drove the baseline and rose up for a two-handed dunk along the baseline against 7-foot-1 James Blasczyk.
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USC shoots only 59.9 percent from the free throw line, so its not a surprise to see the Trojans hit only 1 of 2 in their first attempts.
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Arizona holds USC scoreless until Maurice Jones hits a fall-away jumper from up top with 15:56 to go. The Cats lead 6-2 and could have pushed that advantage higher if not for a couple of turnovers.
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Arizona starts the game with a 6-0 lead, and USC coach Kevin O’Neill calls a timeout with 17:18 to go in the half. UA fans remember those early KO timeouts.
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Arizona is patient on its first possession and gets an open look for Kyle Fogg, who misses. On the second possession, USC guards Solomon Hill man-to-man at the 3-point line, and Hill drives to the hoop for two. UCLA was more inclined to sag off Hill the other night, challenging him to shoot.
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Steve Kerr helping with the TV call on Fox Sports Net, so maybe this game won’t be so bad to watch after all.
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Arizona takes on USC and old pal Kevin O’Neill today at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, looking to come away with a split of the road trip.
This figures to be an ugly game, especially if the offensively-challenged Trojans have their way and muddy up the game, slowing the pace and turning it into a grind. USC hasn’t scored more than 53 points in any of the past four games, all losses.
The Trojans even lost at home to Arizona State on Thursday night, despite the Sun Devils having only six scholarship players. Speaking of ASU, one of the three players suspended earlier this week — point guard Keala King, the team’s leading scorer — was dismissed from the program today.
Despite the Trojans’s troubles, the oddsmakers still like USC in a close one against the Cats, which enter the game as roughly a one-point underdog.
A key today will be how freshman Josiah Turner runs the team in the half-court sets. In a perfect world, the Wildcats would be running, but don’t expect O’Neill to crash the offensive boards, opting instead to send guys back and cut off any fast breaks.
Check back here during the game for updates and analysis…