It’s not even close to March yet, but college basketball has been madness through the first few weeks of the season. And Thursday night’s slate of games featured one of the most outrageous buzzer-beaters we might see all season.
USC, led by former Arkansas head coach Eric Musselman and former Auburn wing Chad Baker-Mazara, beat Troy in triple overtime to move to 4-0 on the young season. Baker-Mazara scored 34 points in the win, but it was a rotation man off the bench who had the biggest play of the night.
Trojan guard Jordan Marsh, who scored just 6 points and played 16 minutes all game, hit a double-clutch triple at the buzzer to give the home team a 107-106 victory and send the home crowd into a frenzy.
The final play of the game was unbridled chaos, but that was in keeping with the rest of the evening.
Troy hit a 3-pointer with 8 seconds to play in regulation and force overtime. Troy then outscored USC 4-1 in the final 19 seconds of the initial overtime period to force a second overtime.
Troy scored with 22 seconds remaining in the second overtime to tie the game at 89-89. USC had a chance to win it then, but Baker-Mazara missed a layup and Jerry Easter II missed a putback attempt in the final seconds.
In the third overtime, Troy had a 106-102 lead with 59 seconds to play. USC’s Rodney Rice got a quick 2 at the rim to bring the Trojans within a bucket, then Baker-Mazara blocked a dunk attempt at the other end with 19 seconds remaining to give the Trojans a shot at tying the game.
Baker-Mazara missed at the rim, Troy secured the rebound and threw the ball ahead, but Rice stole it and kicked it ahead to Marshall, who threw up the desperation shot at the buzzer.
The Trojans went 17-18 in Musselman’s first season at the helm, missing the NCAA Tournament for a second consecutive season. The Trojans are looking to make the field with a retooled roster. They face Boise State next Monday.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
