The USC Trojans had a very good start to this season and looked like a lock to make the NCAA tournament. The Trojans went 11-2 in non-conference games and picked up wins over Monmouth, Wichita State and Yale. USC also started conference play well, winning seven of their first 10 games in the Pac-12.
After that hot start though, the Trojans lost six of their last nine and limped into the Pac-12 tournament. Many people still had them on the right side of the bubble, but a game against UCLA in the first round of the conference tournament seemed like a must to ensure their inclusion come Selection Sunday.
Luckily for the Trojans and their fans, not only did USC defeat UCLA on Wednesday night - they won in a very convincing manner, beating their in-city rival by 24 points. This win was sweet for USC not only because it was the third time they defeated UCLA this year, clearly cementing them as the better Los Angeles team, but also because it seems like it was the finishing touch to their tournament resume.
USC now goes on to face the No. 2 seed in the Pac-12, Utah, in the quarterfinals of the tournament, a game that may allow them to pad their resume and maybe improve seeding, though a loss likely won't hurt them. The Trojans' resume isn't exactly impressive, but it does have the look of an NCAA tournament team.
USC has an RPI of 40 - which is tournament-worthy - strength of schedule of 42 - also tournament worthy - and five wins over top-50 RPI teams. Now, all of those wins came at home, which could give reason for pause, but they still count and you can probably look past that because USC don't have a single loss to a team with an RPI 100 or below. In college basketball, avoiding bad losses is almost as important as picking up big wins.
Fortunately for USC, they have done both.
This will likely be the Trojans' first appearance in the NCAA tournament under head coach Andy Enfield and their first appearance since 2011. In the 2011 NCAA tournament USC was one of the last four teams and lost their play-in game. This year they are projected to be one of the last four byes which is big because they want to avoid a play-in game at all costs. A win over Utah would all but ensure they won't be one of the last four teams in, but either way USC and their fans should now feel pretty comfortable about their chances to at least be in the tournament.
