Discover what happened when the USC Trojans men’s basketball team faced UC Irvine in the Galen Center for a buy game on Tuesday night. It was anticipated to be an unremarkable evening but turned out to be anything but. In an unexpected turn of events, the Anteaters secured a 70-60 victory against the understaffed Trojans, saddling USC with its first defeat of the season.
Bronny James did not play, and the absence of both Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson was felt in the game. Nonetheless, there’s no room for excuses after losing to UC Irvine, particularly on home court. Isaiah Collier’s 23 points led the Trojans, yet he also had seven turnovers. Harrison Hornery made a strong showing with 17 points and seven rebounds, but Collier and Hornery lacked support from the rest of the team.
Aside from that, there wasn’t much to feel positive about. Regardless of their staffing issues, the Trojans were expected to clinch a victory.
Reactions were plenty following the unexpected defeat:
STUNNER
RESPECT
BACK TO BACK SEASONS WITH A RANKED WIN FOR UC IRVINE!
DOWN GOES BRONNY JAMES AND #16 USC!!!
GIVE RUSS TURNER HIS RESPECT!!!
A DIFFERENT SQUAD THAN LAST YEAR, BUT THEY’RE STILL GOING TO COMPETE NIGHT IN AND NIGHT OUT.
Justin Hohn with 25 points. Watch out for the Anteaters! pic.twitter.com/ntGbMPLXiR
— Mid-Major Madness (@mid_madness) November 15, 2023
EPITOME OF BRUTALITY
USC loses a buy game to UC Irvine. The epitome of brutality.
*Boogie Ellis (ankle) and Kobe Johnson (undisclosed) both DNP for the Trojans.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) November 15, 2023
UPSETS
NOT GOOD
BOUNCE BACK COMING
Collier can’t do it all by himself. Time for other guys to step up && he’s only a true freshman.
All good Trojan family, the basketball season is long. They’ll bounce back. 🔥#FightOn ✌🏿 https://t.co/OHeP9f69G3
— 🚌 💰 (@916Trojan) November 15, 2023
NO REST
HORRIBLE LOSS
WAIT WHAT??
COOKED
EMBARRASSING
ZOT
TIME TO ROOT
USC will definitely root for Irvine to win the Big West.
— USC Trojans Wire (@TrojansWire) November 15, 2023
LAUGHING
im not going to judge USC harshly for losing to UC Irvine without its best and third-best player but i *am* going to laugh very hard
— carlos: a pac-12 mourner 🍉 (@equitybruin) November 15, 2023
CREDIT DUE
UC Irvine is going to upset USC. Full credit to the Anteaters. They were the better team.
— Connor Morrissette (@C_Morrissette) November 15, 2023
TOUGH LOSS
UC Irvine is a solid mid-major and USC is short-handed, but that is a home loss that is going to follow the Trojans for months.
— Kerry Miller (@kerrancejames) November 15, 2023
UGLY
Some really ugly possessions from USC down the stretch and they lose their first game of the season to UC Irvine. Asking a freshman — even Isaiah Collier — to carry the team feels like not a great recipe for success
— Paolo Uggetti (@PaoloUggetti) November 15, 2023
OOF
Since Andy Enfield said he was too good for the #NIT, USC has lost to:
-Western Kentucky
-Santa Clara
-Temple
-FGCU
-2023 Oregon State
-UC Irvine????— NIT Stu (@nit_stu) November 15, 2023
WELL
Kentucky dropped a spot to 15th in Kenpom after tonight’s loss, but UC Irvine’s upset of USC just cratered the Trojans. Kentucky moved back up to 14th. No harm, no foul.
— morrisoncrying (@morrisoncrying) November 15, 2023
Laura Davis covers the world of basketball with precision. Her articles explore NBA and college basketball, offering game analysis, player profiles, and highlights. Laura’s passion for hoops is evident in her comprehensive basketball coverage.
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