USC tops Washington in Pac-12 tourney, boosts NCAA hopes

By MIKE CRANSTON
Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Southern California's quest to reach the NCAA Tournament likely couldn't survive a loss to one of the Pac-12's worst teams.

The Trojans prevailed, and while it was a struggle, coach Andy Enfield believes they've now done enough to earn a bid.

Chimezie Metu had 24 points and nine rebounds, and USC withstood a poor start and sloppy finish to hold off Washington 78-73 on Wednesday night in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament.

Bennie Boatwright added 13 points for the sixth-seeded Trojans, who rallied from 10 points down in the first half and then nearly blew a 14-point lead before securing a spot in Thursday's quarterfinals against No. 3 UCLA.

"Our RPI is in the high 30s and we're 24-8, so we feel like we're in pretty good shape for the NCAA Tournament," Enfield said.

David Crisp had 22 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Huskies (9-22) but missed a game-tying 3-point attempt in the closing seconds. Noah Dickerson scored 18 points, but Washington was undone by 10 second-half turnovers in its school-record 13th straight loss.

Washington, holding an RPI of 202 entering the day, played without potential No. 1 NBA draft pick Markelle Fultz for a fourth straight game. The Pac-12 top scorer sat out with a sore knee, meaning the freshman's college career is likely over.

The question now is whether coach Lorenzo Romar will return. He said a report that indicated it had been decided he will be retained was false.

"I have not received any indications from the administration one way or another," Romar said. "It's an evaluation process going on right now."

Washington tied a school record for losses in a season, but the Trojans still struggled for much of the night. USC didn't put it away until Shaqquan Aaron hit two free throws with 3 seconds left.

Aaron had missed two free throws with 21 seconds remaining and De'Anthony Melton missed one with 34 seconds to go.

"When you miss two or three or four free throws at the end of the game, you give yourself a chance to lose," Enfield said. "We didn't lose tonight, but you saw in the NCAA Tournament last year we couldn't make free throws."

Washington came out hot in the teams' second meeting in five days, with Matisse Thybulle (14 points) hitting three straight 3-pointers to put the 11th-seeded Huskies up 37-27.

But USC switching to a zone and Metu's play inside fueled a 10-2 run to close the half. The Trojans took their first lead early in the second half on consecutive dunks by Metu.

Things unraveled for the Huskies from there. Malik Dime had to leave briefly with an apparent finger injury after blocking a shot. Then a foul and ensuing technical foul on Carlos Johnson led to Boatwright hitting four straight free throws and USC soon led by 14.

But late miscues led to some tense moments before Crisp's straightaway 3 clanged off the rim.

"It's on us as players," guard Jordan McLaughlin said of USC's inconsistency. "The coaches do a good job getting us ready for the game. Defensive strategy and everything, they set it up perfectly, and it's on us to come and play with energy."

BIG PICTURE

Washington: Romar did sign Michael Porter Jr., the No. 1 player in the 2017 recruiting class, which could help him avoid getting fired.

USC: Thanks to a recent four-game losing streak and only two wins over AP Top 25 teams (UCLA, No. 12 SMU), falling to the downtrodden Huskies might have extinguished the Trojans' NCAA Tournament hopes.

FULTZ'S LAST SHOT

Maybe Fultz should have tried to play while sitting on the bench. The freshman posted a video on his Twitter account from the shootaround in which he made a shot from the first row of the stands behind the basket.

UP NEXT

Washington: Romar, the Pac-12's longest-tenured coach, hopes to return for a 16th season. "I think that our administration is very supportive," he said.

USC: The Trojans split two games with UCLA, but the last meeting was ugly. The Bruins rolled at home, 102-70 on Feb. 18, and are hoping to secure a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Alabama wears down Washington 24-7, returns to title game

ATLANTA (AP) — For Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide, it would be unimaginable to end a season any other way.

Once again, they'll be playing for a national title.

Going old school on playoff newcomer Washington, top-ranked Alabama relied on a stifling defense and the bruising runs of Bo Scarbrough to wear down the Huskies for a 24-7 victory Saturday in the Peach Bowl semifinal game.

Saban isn't satisfied.

He never is.

"We've got more miles to go," said Saban, who will be seeking his fifth national title in the last eight years at Alabama, a remarkable run that has stamped him perhaps the greatest coach in college football history.

The Crimson Tide (14-0) scored 10 points off turnovers, including Ryan Anderson's interception return for a touchdown late in the first half, and Scarbrough's 68-yard TD run in the fourth quarter finished off the Huskies.

Scarbrough totaled 180 yards and two scores, garnering offensive MVP honors.

Not bad for a backup.

"Whoever's hot, that's who's going to get the ball," Saban said. "He's been hot lately and he's going to get the ball."

Seeking its second straight title, Alabama heads to Tampa, Florida, for the Jan. 9 championship game and a rematch against Clemson.

"We're 1-0," linebacker Reuben Foster said. "Now it's time to focus on the next one and leave this behind us."

No. 4 Washington (12-2) reached the College Football Playoff with a remarkable turnaround season after struggling much of the last two decades — including an 0-12 debacle in 2008.

But Jake Browning and the Huskies' high-powered offense were no match for Alabama's top-ranked defense , even after an impressive drive gave them an early 7-0 edge.

The Tide began to exert its dominance late in the first quarter when Anthony Averett stripped the ball away from John Ross on a screen pass. Jonathan Allen recovered, giving Alabama possession at the Washington 40 and setting up Adam Griffith's 41-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead.

Anderson made an even bigger defensive play with just over a minute to go in the half. With the blitzing Foster bearing down on him, Browning desperately heaved a pass into the flats for Lavon Coleman. But Anderson peeled off to make the pick, knocked Coleman over in the process and was off to the end zone on a 26-yard return that made it 17-7 at the half.

For Alabama, it was the 11th defensive touchdown of the season.

"That's as good a defense as there is out there in college football," Washington coach Chris Petersen said. "They played like it."

Any hopes of a Washington comeback were snuffed out by Scarbrough, a starter at most schools but not for the deep, talented Tide. On a simple running play to the left, he appeared to be stopped by two players just short of the line of scrimmage.

But Scarbrough somehow managed to stay on his feet and — boom! — he was gone. Streaking down the field in front of the Alabama bench, he avoided another defender with a subtle deke, cut back toward the middle of the field at the Washington 30 and outran everyone to the end zone.

Scarbrough also scored Alabama's first touchdown with a bruising, 18-yard run.

STYMIED HUSKIES

Washington was held to a season-low for points and yards, even after a 64-yard opening drive capped by Browning's 16-yard TD pass to Dante Pettis.

The Huskies finished with 194 yards, below their previous low of 276 in a 26-13 loss to Southern Cal . That was also their lowest-scoring game of the season until they ran up against the Tide.

Browning finished 20 of 38 for just 150 yards. He was sacked five times and picked off twice.

HURTS STRUGGLES

Freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts had been a big part of the Alabama offense, but he didn't have much of an impact in the Peach Bowl.

The youngster was 7 of 14 for 57 yards passing, with three sacks. He ran 19 times for 50 yards.

CHASING BEAR

Saban, who won a BCS championship at LSU, has a chance to join Bear Bryant as the only coaches to capture six national titles in the poll era.

To some, he's already tied with the Bear.

One of Bryant's titles came in 1973 when the Tide was voted No. 1 in the final coaches' poll, which came out before the bowls. Alabama lost in the Sugar Bowl to Notre Dame, handing the Fighting Irish the No. 1 spot in The Associated Press poll .

UGLY ENDING

A scuffle broke out after Minkah Fitzpatrick's interception in the closing seconds, leading to a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties against Alabama.

Several Washington players were shaken up while chasing down Fitzpatrick, but they all managed to walk off the field while the officials sorted things out.

Two Alabama players — linebacker Reuben Foster and defensive back Ronnie Harrison — headed to the locker room before the game was over. But they were sent off by their coaches, not the officials.

"They were taking some cheap shots," Foster said.

UP NEXT

No matter how the Fiesta Bowl turned out, Alabama was set up to face a familiar opponent in the national championship game.

A year ago, the Tide beat Clemson 45-40 in a classic title showdown at Glendale, Arizona. Two seasons ago, Alabama was upset by Ohio State 42-35 in the Sugar Bowl semifinal, and the Buckeyes went on to capture the national championship.

No. 6 Washington tops No. 23 Washington St. 45-17

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Budda Baker was walking to the sideline in the fourth quarter when he was jostled from behind by someone in crimson, who then proceeded to chirp at Washington's standout safety.

Baker heard what was said, turned, and pointed at the closed end of Martin Stadium.

"All I had to do was look at the scoreboard," Baker said.

It told the story of a day of dominance by No. 6 Washington in a 45-17 rout of No. 23 Washington State that put the Huskies into the Pac-12 championship game and on the cusp of a spot in the College Football Playoff.

Washington (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12, No. 5 CFP) rolled from the outset, using a 28-point first quarter behind three touchdown passes from quarterback Jake Browning to claim the Pac-12 North title and keep the Apple Cup in Seattle for a fourth straight year

A win in the Pac-12 title game next Friday against Colorado or Southern California would likely land the Huskies in the college football version of the final four.

"It doesn't matter. I'm just glad the (Huskies) are there and hopefully we'll show up and play our best game of the year," Washington coach Chris Petersen said.

Browning threw for 292 yards but it was the first quarter that set the stage. Browning tossed all three touchdown passes in the first 15 minutes, hitting Dante Pettis on plays of 18 and 61 yards and John Ross on a 6-yarder. Browning had 243 yards passing by halftime, the Huskies had 386 total yards at the break and even Washington State's third-quarter rally didn't make Washington sweat.

Washington tied a school record with the 28-point first quarter and the four straight over the Cougars (8-4, 7-2, No. 23 CFP) is the longest streak since the Huskies won six straight between 1998-2003.

"It's what we expected. We expected to be off to a fast start," Washington defensive lineman Elijah Qualls said. "That's what we worked on all week. We knew we could do it."

Browning completed 21 of 29 passes, becoming the third quarterback in Pac-12 history with at least 40 TD passes in a season. Ross had eight catches for 80 yards and his 16th TD catch of the season.

Washington State quarterback Luke Falk was 33 of 50 passing for 269 yards and a 9-yard TD pass to Gabe Marks in the third quarter, but was intercepted three times. More damaging, the Cougars were unable to score on three drives inside the Washington 10.

"I thought we were too quick to press. I thought we made more out of it than it was," Washington State coach Mike Leach said.

Eight years after this matchup was mocked because of how bad the two teams were, the Apple Cup was back on a stage of national relevance as the North title game and regarded by many fans as the most important matchup of the 109 meetings.

It became a purple party for the Huskies that made the trip over the Cascade Mountains to the Palouse.

Lavon Coleman added 82 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. His 15-yard TD run early in the fourth quarter capped a 98-yard drive and sent many clad in crimson back to the tailgating lots.

Washington rolled up 386 yards in the first half, 252 coming in the first quarter and capitalized on three mistakes by Washington State.

Jamal Morrow fumbled on Washington State's opening possession and eight plays later, Pettis caught an 18-yard touchdown and Washington had a 14-0 lead. Later in the half, Gerard Wicks was stopped at the 1 on fourth-and-goal on a great play by Benning Potoa'e. And on the final drive of the first half, Falk was intercepted by Beavers in the end zone.

Down 35-17, Washington State had a chance to pull within 11 late in the third quarter, but Wicks was again stuffed on fourth-and-goal.

"On offense, we weren't trying to do enough," Marks said. "We were soft."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

Washington picked up another win over a ranked opponent that should impress voters and give the 1-loss Huskies a chance to leap Wisconsin and possibly the Ohio State-Michigan loser in both the AP Top 25 and the CFP rankings. Washington State is likely to fall out of the Top 25 after being ranked the past four weeks.

BROKEN APPLE

The apple on top of the trophy given to the winner of the Apple Cup was missing after it broke off on Thursday night. Petersen wouldn't implicate the culprit but said it was barely touched and snapped. This doesn't appear to be the first time the apple has broken off.

THE TAKEAWAY

Washington: The big play was a key in Washington's big first half. The Huskies had eight plays of 15 yards or more. That included the 61-yard touchdown to Pettis, the 22-yard touchdown run by Coleman and a mixture of other long plays like Darrell Daniels' 50-yard catch on a double pass from Pettis and Ross' 31-yard run.

Washington State: The Cougars' defense was exposed for the second straight week. After holding California and Arizona to a combined 28 points, the Cougars gave up more than 500 total yards for the second straight week.

UP NEXT

Washington: The Huskies will face Colorado or Southern California in the Pac-12 championship game next Friday.

Washington State: The Cougars will await a second straight bowl bid.