USC knew it would need to hold on for dear life if it hoped to cling to its claim atop the Pac-12, and for weeks, that tenuous grip held through injuries and off nights and circumstances outside of its control, leaving the Trojans within reach of their first regular season title in 36 years.
But all it would take was one slip-up, and on Thursday night, before they could even catch their breath in Boulder, their conference title fate had already fallen out of their hands in an 80-62 defeat to Colorado. Now, with three games left in the regular season, USC sits a half-game behind its crosstown rival UCLA, which it will meet in just over a week’s time.