The last time USC played Oregon was Feb. 22, when the Trojans ran out to a 15-0 lead en route to 72-58 victory.
A lot has happened since then.
Like the Ducks claiming the Pac-12 Conference regular-season title by the smallest of winning-percentage margins, even though the Trojans played and won more conference games.
“They stole the Pac-12 championship from us,” USC’s Isaiah Mobley said of the Ducks last week.
And like both teams emerging from the first weekend of NCAA tournament play for a surprising, at least to the selection committee, Pac-12 showdown in the West regional semifinals.
The sixth-seeded Trojans beat No. 11 Drake 72-56 in the first round and No. 3 Kansas 85-51 in the second round. No. 7 Oregon advanced out of the first round via a no contest because of coronavirus issues with No. 10 Virginia Commonwealth. The Ducks then beat No. 2 Iowa 95-80 in the second round.
“I wanted this game in the Pac-12 tournament and we didn’t get it then,“ Oregon forward Eugene Omoruyi said. “So I’m happy to get it now.”
Tipoff is at 6:45 p.m. PDT. Follow the game live here.
