The raucous crowd at USC’s Galen Center reached a crescendo Monday night, with 1:04 remaining, as freshman standout JuJu Watkins hit a jumper that would be the last points of the night for either team.
“USC! USC! USC!” the packed house of 8,941 chanted, as a trip to the Sweet 16 became inevitable for the No. 1 seed Trojans for the first time in 30 years.
When the final buzzer sounded to a 73-55 win over eighth-seeded Kansas, players hugged each other briefly. Then they all took off running down the court towards the student section, where they leaned over the rail or ascended into the seats to give fans hugs, high-fives and exchange smiles and words.
Afterwards, Watkins and senior McKenzie Forbes said the team wanted to make sure their fans knew how much their support had meant to them during the season.
“It’s such a blessing to play in front of this crowd…..we didn’t want to leave the court,” Forbes said. “I wanted to go around and make sure the fans know we appreciate them so much. They had that place jumping, and it’s so much fun to play in front of a crowd like that.”
Watkins noted that it was a school and work night, and a Monday, at that.
“We have students…
