USC: Bitter Sweet
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - Gabe Pruitt curled up on the bench, his jersey pulled over his head to hide the tears.
Even for a team that exceeded all expectations by making the Sweet 16, the end of a season hurts.
Seemingly on the way to another remarkable victory in this NCAA Tournament, USC fell apart in the second half Friday, blowing a 16-point lead in a 74-64 loss to top-seeded North Carolina at Continental Airlines Arena.
"We had the game," Pruitt said. "We had a big lead and we let it go. ... It's tough to swallow that, knowing we had the game and we gave it up so easily."
North Carolina (31-6) advances to play second-seeded Georgetown in the Elite Eight at 2:05 p.m. Sunday.
The Trojans perhaps aren't a true Cinderella team as a fifth seed, but they were having a Cinderella season.
Picked to finish sixth in the Pacific-10 Conference in the preseason media poll and two years removed from a last-place finish, USC (25-12) dominated its first 2 1/2 games of the NCAA Tournament with defensive tenacity and brilliant game plans.
The Trojans started the second half on a 7-0 run to take a 49-33 lead on the reeling Tar Heels. Then, still half an hour before midnight Eastern time,
everything went awry.
North Carolina finally started taking advantage of its edge in size, pounding the offensive glass for tip-ins and second-chance opportunities to claw back in the game.
Any resistance USC had inside took a big hit when forward Taj Gibson picked up his fourth foul with 12:25 remaining and the Trojans ahead 57-45.
As soon as he took the bench, the TarHeels began an 11-2 run. Six of the points came inside from Brandan Wright.
With 8:23 remaining and the lead down to 59-56, USC coach Tim Floyd took a chance and put back in Gibson.
The boost didn't help as North Carolina scored the next 11 points after Gibson returned, extending its run to 22-2. All 22points either came inside or from the free-throw line.
"There was nothing we could really do," said Nick Young, who scored 15points in what could be his final game as a Trojan. "They're a great team. They were knocking down their shots and we weren't. We were making turnovers and misses. ... They just played great down the stretch. That's what you should expect from a No. 1 team."
The Tar Heels took their first lead of the second half 60-59 on a tip-in by Danny Green following a missed layup. A few minutes later, on a reverse layup from Wayne Ellington around Gibson, North Carolina was up by eight points.
It was like the Trojans were hit by a freight train.
Pruitt, a junior guard who sparked USC with nine points in the final six minutes of the second half, took the corner of his shirt to wipe his eye at the final buzzer.
Freshman guard Daniel Hackett came over to embrace Pruitt as he kneeled on the floor, then headed to the bench as other players shook hands with the opponents at midcourt.
It was the final game as a Trojan for senior Lodrick Stewart.
"Just knowing this will be my last time putting on this uniform with these great players around me, it is hard," Stewart said. "I wish coach Floyd could be my coach for the rest of my life."
Young, a junior who prepped at Cleveland High of Reseda, will have a decision to make on returning to school or declaring for the NBA draft.
"Oh yeah, there's a big chance," said Young, projected by many mock drafts as a first-round pick, of returning to USC. "I love this Trojan family. We had a lot of success and, with the recruits coming in, it should be even better for us."
Despite the loss, USC players had little to be disappointed about after setting a school record in victories.
Expectations will be higher next season, especially if Young returns.
USC is expected to add the top recruit in the nation in Huntington, W.Va., guard O.J. Mayo.
"I think as long as Tim Floyd is coach, this is going to be a national powerhouse," Stewart said. "This is going to be one of the elite teams in the country and only going to get better."
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