What Andy Enfield said following USC men's basketball's 68-65 win over Arizona State

By finishing in third place in the Pac-12, USC earned a bye in the first round of next week's conference tournament in Las Vegas

LOS ANGELES — On Senior Night, USC survived.

After making one free throw with 6.5 seconds to play, USC center Joshua Morgan missed his second shot and Arizona State's Warren Washington grabbed the rebound. He then passed to DJ Horne who dribbled the length of the court, cut to his right and missed a three-pointer as time expired giving the Trojans a 68-65 win. 

USC (22-9, 14-6) held Arizona State (20-11, 11-9) to 29% shooting, but the Sun Devils hung around cutting the Trojans' lead to two points three separate times with under 90 seconds to play. 

That was as close as they'd get. 

Seniors Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson were honored pregame with their families. Ellis led all scorers with 28 points and Peterson, who nearly didn't play due to suffering a back injury earlier in the week, put in nine. Tre White scored 13 points including two free throws that put USC up 67-64 with 14 seconds to play. 

After White's free throws, ASU's Frankie Collins went one for two from the line prior to Morgan's split. 

By finishing in third place in the Pac-12, USC earned a bye in the first round of next week's conference tournament in Las Vegas. The Trojans will take on the winner of Arizona State and Oregon State in the second round Thursday night at 8:30 pm.

Here’s what USC head coach Andy Enfield had to say following the Trojans' victory.

On USC's regular season:

"This has been an outstanding season for us. This is one of the most improved teams we've had here in ten years."

On USC's NCAA Tournament credentials:

"Our team deserves to be in the [NCAA] Tournament."

Watch Enfield's complete press conference above.

MORE TO KNOW

Boogie Ellis confirms that this will be his final season at USC.

— Connor Morrissette (@C_Morrissette) March 5, 2023

USC’s Drew Peterson said he didn’t expect to play against ASU when he woke up this morning. His back was too sore. But he went through the wringer to play, doing everything from chiropractic massage to an IV drip.

Peterson still has never missed a game in his college career.

— Ryan Kartje (@Ryan_Kartje) March 5, 2023