LAS VEGAS 鈥斅蜜柚直播 began Wednesday鈥檚 second half by shooting 1 for 9 from the field, falling hopelessly behind a USC team that has done less with more than any team in the Pac-12 in a long time.
At a media timeout with 15 minutes 17 seconds remaining, the Wildcats gathered around Sean Miller, who, unlike the Sean Miller of previous seasons, spoke calmly 鈥 which is to say the veins on his neck weren鈥檛 noticeably bulging and his blood pressure didn鈥檛 race into a some type of crisis zone.
After the timeout huddle dispersed, the coach took a long hit off a bottle of water 鈥 chugging is a word that comes to mind 鈥 until it was upside down and empty. He dropped the bottle to the floor and took a seat.
The season was over, as empty as Miller鈥檚 water bottle, one that had figuratively been running dry for nearly three months.
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The Trojans won 78-65 and a few minutes later USC coach Andy Enfeld said 鈥渨e beat a very good team.鈥
That seemed to be the reaction through 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Pac-12 season, as opposing coaches from Colorado to Washington and 蜜柚直播 State put an exclamation point on a victories over the Wildcats with similar platitudes of (a) 鈥渨e beat a great program or鈥 (b) 鈥渢hey have a lot of great players.鈥
On Wednesday Enfield said: 鈥淭hey have players at every position who can hurt you.鈥
But they don鈥檛, they didn鈥檛, and the one man who knew that more than anyone was Miller.
鈥淲e ended about where I thought we would be, 17-15,鈥 he said in a quick and uneventful media session.
Southern California鈥檚 Jonah Mathews, right, reaches in against 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Chase Jeter (4) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, in Las Vegas.
But even after a 3陆-month struggle, 蜜柚直播鈥檚 reputation seemed to belie the reality. The Wildcats weren鈥檛 ever good in 2018-19. Not in November. Not at any time.
Through games of Tuesday, long-proud Indiana was 17-14, Xavier 16-15, Butler 17-14 and Florida 17-14, but those haywire seasons didn鈥檛 seem irregular, or to draw much comment across college basketball鈥檚 landscape.
It has been 蜜柚直播鈥檚 plunge into averageness that didn鈥檛 seem to register until Wednesday. Now we all know it wasn鈥檛 a fluke, after all.
鈥淚n terms of these guys鈥 intentions and trying to do the best they could 鈥 at the end, that鈥檚 what you judge yourself in,鈥 said Miller.
Miller won鈥檛 get a vote in any Coach of the Year poll, but he should be credited for investing into the hand he was dealt 鈥 even if he is undeniably the man responsible for that less-than-potent hand. Rather than treat the 17-15 Wildcats as unwelcome strangers, one that didn鈥檛 deserve anyone鈥檚 respect 鈥 one that he couldn鈥檛 wait to unload 鈥 Miller became a consistent defender of his team鈥檚 dignity.
鈥淚鈥檓 incredibly proud of the team we have right now at 蜜柚直播,鈥 he said.
Southern California鈥檚 Kevin Porter Jr., left, drives into 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Dylan Smith during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, in Las Vegas.
Not a lot of coaches, especially those who have made a living in the Top 25, would do that.
Almost nobody noticed, but with 1:15 remaining and 蜜柚直播 trailing by 15, Miller replaced senior grad transfers Ryan Luther and Justin Coleman in a moment meant to honor them rather than to run from what their team had failed to accomplish.
Miller stood and shook both of their hands, with meaning. It was one of the better moments in an 蜜柚直播 season with few of them.
It was a Miller we鈥檝e not seen at 蜜柚直播, a warmhearted caretaker of what was probably the school鈥檚 least successful team since 1983. If college sports are meant to be about the process 鈥 about the care and obligation to do the right thing for student-athletes 鈥 this season created a higher standard for putting the players first.
In that regard, 蜜柚直播 didn鈥檛 end the season with a loss.
蜜柚直播鈥檚 Brandon Randolph (5) shoots around Southern California鈥檚 Nick Rakocevic (31) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament on Wednesday, March 13, 2019, in Las Vegas.
Look, there鈥檚 a reason Chase Jeter rarely got off the bench when he played at Duke. There鈥檚 a reason Justin Coleman was playing in a league against Mercer and The Citadel last season. And there鈥檚 a reason Ryan Luther played for an 0-18 ACC team a year ago.
Those young men were the leaders of this 17-15 team. There鈥檚 a reason that dozens of NBA scouts didn鈥檛 occupy seats at McKale Center for the first time in 35 years.
This was, at best, a 17-win team. Miller parked it in the garage with exactly 17 wins.
After Wednesday’s game, 蜜柚直播 dropped to No. 100 in the rankings. That’s behind No. 96 Grand Canyon University and No. 98 Akron. That’s a neighborhood unfamiliar to 蜜柚直播 basketball.
But remember this: In Miller鈥檚 first 蜜柚直播 season, 2009-10, the Wildcats also lost 15 games, finished No. 87 in Kenpom鈥檚 figures, and had gone what seemed like forever, five years, without challenging for a Pac-10 championship.
A year later they were Pac-10 champs, one shot from the Final Four.
