USC Triple-Double Podcast: Women of Troy win Pac-12 Tournament; men knock off No. 5 Arizona

Peristyle Podcast - USC Trojan Football Discussion

The USC Triple-Double Podcast returns with co-hosts Shotgun Spratling and Connor Morrissette (aka Mr. Triple Double) breaking down the Women of Troy's run through the Pac-12 Tournament gauntlet by outlasting Arizona, beating No. 7 UCLA in double overtime and dominating No. 2 Stanford in the championship game to win their first conference tournament title since 2014. They also look at the men's version of the Trojans winning three straight games, including ending the regular season with a bang by picking up their first top-five win since 2008.

The Women of Troy move up to No. 3, earning their first top-three ranking in the Associated Press top 25 poll since Cheryl Miller was on campus 38 years prior. The Trojans are No. 10 in the NET rankings after claiming two more wins over teams in the top 10 of the NET rankings, but they likely will be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament after their march to the title in the final Pac-12 Tournament. The men's team moved up in the seeding for their edition of the Pac-12 Tournament after a pair of wins over the Arizona schools, including a win over No. 5 Arizona that ended up pushing the Trojans into a three-way tie for the No. 9 spot.

USCFootball.com women's basketball beat writer Ahmad Akkaoui joins the show to discuss the atmosphere in the MGM Garden Arena throughout the women's Pac-12 Tournament and talk about where he's seen Lindsay Gottlieb's squad grow throughout the season while covering the Women of Troy. He discusses the support USC's roles players and reserves have provided for star freshman JuJu Watkins, who scored a career-worst nine points in the championship game while drawing attention that allowed her teammates to thrive.

After a short break, Shotgun and Connor break down all the latest action for both teams, including the continued positive impact Kayla Williams is making off the Women of Troy bench and the big strides forward Rayah Marshall has made in the last few weeks. They also give Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player McKenzie Forbes her flowers after a 26-point performance in the championship game and discuss a very cool move from Watkins to spread the love to her teammates.

The podcasting duo also takes a look at how the USC men were able to dominate a game against No. 5 Arizona despite being outrebounded, behind the all-around performances of Kobe Johnson and DJ Rodman. Their play has really opened things up for the Trojans, who are shooting free throws and defending at a clip better than they have done all season.

Shotgun and Connor also look forward to this week's men's Pac-12 Tournament where the Trojans will take on Washington at noon on Wednesday with the winner advancing to face top-seed Arizona Thursday at noon.

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