Seen and heard in Vegas: Keshad Johnson dives in for Arizona, plenty of pregame Love, Bronny James’ future
LAS VEGAS — Of all the exuberant reactions the Arizona faithful let out during the top-seeded Wildcats’ 70-49 quarterfinal win over No. 8 seed Southern California in Thursday’s Pac-12 tournament matchup, the first was not for a dunk or 3-pointer.
It was a reaction to a stray ball.
Early in the game, Keshad Johnson dived to the ground in the USC backcourt, drawing loud applause. The hustle play was indicative of the entire contest as well, as UA prevented USC from scoring as many points as it had all season.
Johnson stated, “Diving on the floor and wanting to be the first to hit the floor sets a tone.”
Just five days earlier, on March 9 in Los Angeles, USC defeated UA 78-65 to set a record for lowest points scored by the Trojans.
While the reserves fiercely guarded the Trojans’ last possession with the same vigor the starting UA rotation used to limit USC to 16 points in the first half, Johnson clarified that giving USC a reception was not the Wildcats’ particular goal.
