USCβs Joshua Morgan, left, and Kijani Wright tie up Arizona center Oumar Ballo as he tries to claim a rebound in the first half of the Wildcatsβ Jan. 17 Pac-12 matchup with the Trojans at McKale Center. UA won 82-67.
Arizona forward Keshad Johnson pulls down an offensive rebound in front of USC guard Kobe Johnson during the teamsβ Pac-12 matchup at McKale Center on Jan. 17.
Arizona guard KJ Lewis (5) puts up a shot during the second half of the Wildcatsβ Pac-12 Championship-clinching victory over UCLA on Thursday in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES β After they finished dousing coach Tommy Lloyd with water, joining Richard Jefferson for a "Bad Boy 4 Life" singalong, putting on Pac-12 championship hats and updating their Instagram stories with celebratory graphics, the Arizona Wildcats retreated to their Santa Monica hotel rooms Thursday to get some sleep.
When they woke up, it was Friday. Same as every other Friday during the Pac-12 season.
Breakfast, films, practice and urgency, all rolled together, with another game almost right in front of them on Saturday. Against an opponent that was picked to finish second in the Pac-12, an opponent that lost by 15 points at McKale Center but now with the two top scorers who missed that game.
USC will be waiting for the Wildcats.
Thursday is over. At least, Lloyd hopes it is.
βDefinitely, it will test our maturity on Saturday,β Lloyd said Thursday outside the Pauley Pavilion visitorβs locker room, wearing a dry, green replacement shirt after UAβs 88-65 win at UCLA. βBut I think weβve got a mature group with some winners. I expect them to come out and respond on Saturday.β
While the No. 5-ranked Wildcats (24-6, 15-4) did get a chance to sleep in, thatβs also true after pretty much any Thursday night game. The rest of the day was routine as well, the way assistant coach Steve Robinson described it Friday.
βWe didnβt do anything different than anytime we play on a road trip,β said Robinson, who has provided UAβs internal scouting reports on USC this season. βIt just so happens that you throw in the fact that we clinched the conference championship. But itβs back to business. Itβs the same routine.β
Maybe it is. While the Wildcatsβ official social media accounts continued to trumpet the teamβs accomplishment Friday, posting video to X (Twitter) of Jefferson joining their postgame celebration after calling the game for ESPN, UA players were pretty much off that stuff by then.
βWe know the job's not done,β forward Keshad Johnson said while standing alongside guard Caleb Love during UAβs postgame player interviews. βWe had a little celebration. We still got work to do on the back end going into USC.β
Not only are those the kinds of words Lloyd is probably happy to hear, there was also the way Loveβs game spoke volumes on Thursday.
βI think I rushed my first two shots, and then I just had to settle into the game and take what the defense was giving me,β Love said. βKeshad was telling me just settle into the game and I just trusted my work.β
Lloyd was glad to see it.
βCaleb showed some real patience,β Lloyd said. βI mean, when you're one of the better players in the league, with a chance to be the league MVP, and you come out the first year in L.A. β¦ For him to settle into the game the way he did and find a way to get good numbers is a huge sign of maturity. He's a heck of a player. He's a winner.β
While Love kept somewhat active on social media Friday, he was merely retweeting support for teammate Jaden Bradleyβs sixth-man award candidacy and, when reposting UAβs graphic celebrating its Pac-12 title, adding a simple fraction.
Love said: β1/3.β
As in regular season title and, maybe, also a conference tournament title and an NCAA Tournament title. The βsteps,β as Lloyd called them earlier this week.
The Wildcats donβt need to win Saturday anymore to get that first step, the conference title, but they might need it to keep on track for a No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed, which can pave an easier path to that final step.
Not that Lloyd wanted to go there, anyway.
βI'm not worried about that,β Lloyd said. βIf weβre a one seed, weβre a one seed. If we're a two seed, weβre a two seed, a three seed. Whatever, weβll play another team that's good, that qualified for the NCAA tournament.
βDon't get me off topic. You know that. Weβve got βSC Saturday, and then we're going to the Pac-12 Tournament. I don't know who we play yet. So we're going to lock in on those two things and continue to build.β
The full Pac-12 Tournament schedule
(All games at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas; All times MST/PDT;Β (The top four seeds, plus No. 12 OSU, have been locked in as of Friday)