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USC Hoops: Trojans Projected No.6 Seed by NCAA March Madness

USC is currently 2nd in the Pac-12 with a 13-3 record.

We are just one calendar month away from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament that will be held exclusively in Indianapolis, Indiana in mid-March. USC hoops currently sits at 13-3, and the Trojans hot start accompanied by their stifling defense currently has them projected as a No. 6 seed by NCAA March Madness and correspondent Andy Katz.

In Katz’s projection, USC is in the same region as No. 1 seed Villanova, and the Trojans would play the No. 11 seeded LSU Tigers in the round of 64. If USC were to advance, they would play the winner of the Ohio State-Eastern Tennessee State game in the round of 32. The other six-seeds in the tournament's projection include Purdue, Florida and Texas Tech.

USC is one of four Pac-12 schools that are in the bracket according to the projection, including 5th seed UCLA, 8th seed Oregon and 11th seed Stanford.

This was Katz’s second NCAA tournament projection; and due to the Trojans missing a handful of games in December due to COVID-19, Andy Enfield’s team didn’t make the bracket back in January. But now that the Trojans have won eight out of their last nine games, they’re finally getting the respect they deserve from analysts all around the country. 

USC has also skyrocketed up the most recent AP Top 25 poll, as they received 57 votes this past week. They received the second-most votes of teams on the outside of the rankings looking in, putting them at No.27 in the country.

The Trojans have been one of the best defensive teams in the nation, especially on the interior. The team ranks 6th in opponent field goal percentage and in blocks per game, holding opposing offenses to 37.6% shooting from the floor while swatting away 5.7 shot attempts each contest. They also are one of the top division-I schools in terms of rebounding, averaging 41.6 per game which ranks 8th nationally.

With the defensive-minded style of play, star power in Evan Mobley, and a talented deep roster, USC is poised to make a solid run in the big dance. But before that can happen, the Trojans still have 10 games left on their schedule, all against Pac-12 foes, starting tonight at 6:00 p.m. against the Stanford Cardinal.

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