Men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball – there’s no shortage of college ball, every night.Don’t worry, we’re here to help you figure out what you missed but shouldn’t have. Here are some of the most memorable moments from college basketball last night. That’s how long it took for USC to defeat Troy on Thursday, but even that impressive bit of context doesn’t tell the full story. It took a USC buzzer-beater 3 pointer to end the game and send everyone home. To achieve the tension of three overtimes and then release that pressure all at once with a Hail Mary throw that results in a 1 point victory? There is nothing better than basketball. No there is not.Again, “three overtimes” implies a level of evenly matched that somehow doesn’t tell the whole story. The score at the end of the first half? USC 29, Troy 30. What were the scores of the two teams in the second-half? You’re never going to believe this (unless you think it through for a second), but 39 points a piece. The first OT was tied, as expected, and so was the second. But the third? Well, you saw the shot that made sure it didn’t happen a fifth time. This was not an instance of one team catching the other through a huge comeback — USC’s largest lead of the game was 11, and Troy’s was 6 — nor was it the case that one team was clearly outplaying the other but their opponent hung in. Troy shot 40% and USC 43%. Troy made 11 of 32 three-pointers, while USC only hit 9 out of 29. Troy had 18 assists and USC 23. Outside of rebounds — a battle Troy won 63 to 39 — and points off turnovers — USC was well ahead there — everything was as close as the final score. That was even the case at the line, which can fluctuate wildly in college ball: the Trojans sank 71% of their free throws, while the… other Trojans shot 74%. Hey, no wonder these two teams were able to keep pace with each other like this, in the weirdest adaptation of “The Iliad” yet.Three players logged over 50 minutes — Thomas Dowd for Troy, and both Chad Baker-Mazara and Rodney Rice for USC. Dowd was one of two Troy players with a dozen rebounds — the other was Cooper Campbell — while Baker-Mazara led all scorers with 34 points, and Campbell chipped in 26 of his own. Jordan Marsh (a junior guard from UNC Asheville) was the player who hit game-winning three. This was also his second shot at a three and second made three.
2025-11-21 16:24:04
Last Night in College Basketball: USC’s Triple-OT, Buzzer-Beating W Wa
