Before Tahj Eaddy came free and his fading, corner heave miraculously fell, the final, slim hopes of USC’s first conference title in 35 years nearly faded away at the free-throw line.
One minute and 26 seconds remained as Chevez Goodwin stood at the stripe with a chance to cut UCLA’s lead to one point. Here was a perfect dress rehearsal for the drama to come in March, an ideal audition for an unexpected run potentially still to come.
But Goodwin missed. Another trip, with just 19 seconds remaining, led him back to the line again.