First and end for USC

OMAHA -- One and undone.

A season that O.J. Mayo long said could realistically end in a national title for USC instead unraveled short of the NCAA tournament’s second round Thursday night at the Qwest Center.

The sixth-seeded Trojans were outhustled, outrebounded and outplayed for most of an 80-67 defeat against 11th-seeded Kansas State in a Midwest Regional first-round game that could have marked the final collegiate appearance for Mayo, the freshman guard whose singular brilliance this season often failed to lift a thin and inexperienced team.

“I’m mad,” said Mayo, who actually cracked a few smiles in the locker room afterward. “We lost a first-round game in the NCAA tournament. That’s not the way I wanted to end my freshman year.”

Mayo’s performance was emblematic of much of his season: 20 points on six-for-16 shooting, with his final shot a meaningless three-quarter-court heave at the final buzzer that was off the mark.

“I wanted to try to win all the way until it said three zeros,” Mayo said, referring to the game clock.

Kansas State won in part because it had two fabulous freshmen instead of only one.

The Wildcats received a big first-half scoring outburst from Bill Walker and a second-half splurge from Michael Beasley, who finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds after playing only 11 minutes before intermission because of foul trouble.

Kansas State outrebounded the Trojans, 44-27, on the way to its first NCAA tournament victory since 1988. The Wildcats (21-11) will play third-seeded Wisconsin (30-4) on Saturday in the second round.

“We wanted to get every loose ball, dominate the boards,” said Walker, Mayo’s childhood friend who scored 22 points on seven-for-12 shooting. “When you do that, you control the game.”

Kansas State appeared on the way to a comfortable victory when it took a 10-point lead during a first half in which Walker scored 17 points on an assortment of three-pointers, reverse layups and pull-up jumpers, showing that he was completely healed from the torn knee ligament that limited him to six games last season.

Whenever the Wildcats missed a shot in the early going, they were almost always there to grab the ball. They had 12 offensive rebounds in the first half, one more than USC’s rebounding total.

“You don’t have to go too far beyond that,” Floyd said.

Beasley shuffled in and out of the game after picking up his second foul only 4:15 into the first half. The 6-foot-10 forward didn’t score until making a driving layup with 10:28 left before halftime, but he later converted a three-point play to give the Wildcats a 37-27 lead that held up as the halftime score.

But the Trojans (21-12) located their defensive intensity early in the second half and started to convert in transition. There was a three-pointer by Mayo from the corner, a steal and dunk by freshman forward Davon Jefferson and a reverse layup by sophomore guard Daniel Hackett.

“We really extended our pressure on the defensive end, forced some turnovers and attacked the rim,” Mayo said.

When Mayo made a steal, went in for a layup and drew a foul, forcing his mouth gleefully agape, the Trojans had pulled into a 47-47 tie with 13:06 left. Mayo’s ensuing free throw gave USC its first lead since Taj Gibson scored the game’s first basket on a baby hook, and the freshman figured his team was on its way.

“I thought it was our turn to make a push and extend the lead,” Mayo said.

After a back-and-forth stretch in which the Wildcats seized a one-point lead, the Trojans had a chance to go back in front on three more possessions. But a fadeaway jumper by Mayo popped out of the rim, Lewis missed a three-pointer and Gibson couldn’t convert a putback or a hook shot.

Kansas State then rattled off the next seven points to go ahead 61-53 on a tip-in by forward Ron Anderson, and USC could get no closer than six the rest of the way.

And so a season that started with a home loss to Mercer ended in similarly disappointing fashion, with the Trojans walking glumly off the court into an uncertain future. Mayo, Gibson and Jefferson are early candidates for the NBA draft.

“It was rough,” said Gibson, who had 10 points and nine rebounds but made only one of five shots. “I went to the Sweet 16 last year and then you turn around and lose in the first round.”

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