NCAA Selection Sunday: USC's March Madness Opponent Revealed
The NCAA tournament committee announced the seedings for the 2021 March Madness bracket during selection Sunday; and USC found out what region and seed they will be in for this years big dance.
The Trojans are slated as the six-seed in the West region, which has the No.1 overall seed in the tournament in Gonzaga.
"We're excited to be here and we're gonna take it game by game," said head coach Andy Enfield about his team notching a 6-seed in Sunday's press conference.
But USC won't find out who they play in the first round just yet.
The Trojans will be playing the winner of the first four game between 11-seeds Wichita State and Drake. Both programs were part of the last four teams that made it in the tournament. The Drake vs. Wichita State game will be played on Thursday, with USC playing its first game in the 64th round that Saturday, March 20th.
This means that USC will only have one full day to prepare for their competition, depending on who advances past the first four.
"I know nothing about either team," Enfield said. "I just know both teams had incredible seasons. Both of them are tremendous teams and we will try to get at it tonight and do a little more research."
If the Trojans win their first matchup on Saturday, their opponent in the round-of-32 would be the winner of the 3-seeded Kansas vs. 14-seeded Eastern Washington on Monday, March 22nd.
The top-8 seeds in the West are as follows: No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 2 Iowa, No. 3 Kansas, No. 4 Virginia, No. 5 Creighton, No. 6 USC, No. 7 Oregon, No. 8 Oklahoma. While the other three 6-seeds in the 2021 tournament are Texas Tech (South), BYU (East) and San Diego State (Midwest).
USC finished the 2020-21 season with a 22-7 record, ranked 24th in the AP Top-25 poll. The Trojans finished with the most wins in Pac-12 play, which helped Enfield win the John R. Wooden Coach of the Year Award.
USC will enter March Madness with a net ranking of 19, the 17th-best strength of record and finished 16th in the college basketball power index (BPI).
But the Trojans couldn't have got there without a couple of key players, including graduate transfer Tahj Eaddy. Named to the second-team all conference, Eaddy played the point guard position to near perfection for what USC needed.
The former Santa Clara baller averaged 13.7 points on 45% shooting while knocking down 39% of his three-point attempts and 79% of his free throws His ability to create his own shot while being clutch all season long helped USC get to Indianapolis.
"I've been blessed to fall into the perfect situation for me," Eaddy said on Sunday. "I knew this was a talented ball club and that we had an opportunity to do something special, and everybody is full of excitement."
Another key player that played into USC's success this season was star freshman Evan Mobley.
The 7-footer won numerous awards, including player of the year, freshman of the year and defensive player of the year in the Pac-12. The future NBA top-5 pick averaged 16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.0 blocks for the Trojans. Mobley was the anchor to USC's top-10 defense, and performed to the hype surrounding the former 5-star recruit.
USC Freshman Evan Mobley
But one of college basketball's best players knows how important his presence will be in the tournament.
"I know it's a big stage and big players have to step up to the challenge," Mobley said on Sunday. "From now on, every game could be our last game and I'm gonna treat it that way, but I'm going to give it my all."
And Mobley knows USC's bracket could be busted by anyone, as its win or go home time for the Trojans.
"Every game will be a tough game. It's March Madness, crazy things happen during this time. We're just going to play our best basketball." [Mobley]
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