OMAHA, Neb. - With the Trojans down 15 points and the game out of reach, O.J. Mayo heaved a desperation half-court shot that made a loud thud off the backboard as time expired.
Mayo grabbed the ball as the game was already over and took one last shot. Again, there was the loud thud of ball hitting iron.
It was hardly what Mayo pictured when he first decided he'd come to USC and lead the
Mayo's grand illusion of bringing home USC's first title in men's basketball ended with a similar thud in USC's 80-67 loss to Kansas State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In perhaps Mayo's final game as a Trojan, he had 20 points and five assists, but the Trojans couldn't contain Kansas State's freshman duo of Michael Beasley and Bill Walker who scored 23 and 22 points, respectively.
It was the first upset of the tournament and a sour one for the Trojans (21-12), who many thought had a chance to make a deep run.
But the Trojans didn't come out with the same intensity as the Wildcats (21-11) and trailed early - much to the delight of the largely pro-Kansas State crowd at the Qwest Arena. While many were surprised by the upset, the Trojans said they weren't.
"We weren't surprised," USC forward Taj Gibson said. "They are a great team. They came into a home court and a home crowd and just played a great game."
Nevertheless, it was a frustrating loss for USC, who made an impressive run in last year's tournament.
"It was rough. I've been to the Sweet 16 last year," Gibson said. "And then you turn around and lose in the first round - it's pretty tough."
The Trojans were hurt by foul trouble all night as Gibson, Davon Jefferson and Keith Wilkinson all reached at least four fouls. The fouls hurt the Trojans rebounding, as they were outrebounded 44-27 and gave up 21 offensive boards.
"It was real frustrating, but the refs made the right calls," said Gibson, who fouled out with 1:21 remaining. "That's the way the game goes."
The Trojans struggled early and trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half. They were hurt by Walker, who scored 17 points in the half, but the bigger problem was the Trojans' inability to get into a rhythm offensively, shooting just 38.9 percent in the first half.
"I think the man-to-man defense was aggressive," said Mayo, who had just seven points in the first half. "I think they got us out of the flow of our offense. Maybe certain shots we took were rushed."
But the Trojans battled back from a 10-point halftime deficit and took a 48-47 lead with 13:06 remaining on Mayo's three-point play after a steal.
USC, though, quickly lost the momentum as Kansas State went on a 14-5 run to lead by eight points. The Trojans simply couldn't stop Beasley, who had 18 points and eight rebounds in the second half alone.
"Basically it's a team letdown on the defensive end, which we prided ourselves on all year," Mayo said. "Tonight we let that get away from us."
The Wildcats shot 48.3 percent in the game and simply had their way in the paint against the Trojans.
"We just didn't want it tonight," said Jefferson, who scored 15 points and had six rebounds. "K-State was the better team."
USC coach Tim Floyd said the Wildcats were much better than their seed and could go a long way in the NCAA Tournament.
"I think they're a team that has a chance to go to the regional final," Floyd said. "When they rebound it like that, they can play with anybody in the country."
After the game, Mayo, Jefferson and Gibson refused to talk about whether they would enter the NBA Draft after the season.
"I don't think that's necessary right now," said Mayo, when asked about his future plans. "I'm really only accepting questions on tonight's game."
And Floyd wouldn't discuss it either when asked about what he sees when looking forward to next season.
"Ninety-six percent of our scoring came from freshmen and sophomores," Floyd said with a smile. "We have a lot to look forward to."
