After scoring 28 points on 8-of-12 shooting against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Thursday, fifth-year star USC Trojans guard Boogie Ellis seemed bullish on his 13-17 team’s chances to go far in the Pac-12 Tournament.
Per Luca Evans of The Orange County Register, Ellis is treating these final few games of the team’s regular season like they’re NCAA Tournament games. And for good reason — the team has no shot of making March Madness if it doesn’t win the Pac-12 Tournament outright!
“Coach really emphasized, our March is now,” Ellis said after the game. “So, we just gotta prepare ourselves now. We gotta act like we’re in the tournament now. We gotta win every game, so you know that when we get to the Pac-12 tournament, there’s no room for error.”
There have been signs that the Trojans are on the rise, in fairness to Ellis. When the club starts Ellis and freshman guard Isaiah Collier in the backcourt, plus junior small forward Kobe Johnson, fifth-year senior power forward DJ Rodman, and center Joshua Morgan, USC has gone 9-4 this season.
Next up for Ellis and USC is the Trojans’ season finale, set for tomorrow against the Arizona Wildcats.
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