NCAA Basketball top 25 power rankings: Tennessee and Villanova rise, Alabama falls
By Joey Loose
10. USC (12-0)
No matter what you want to say about Isaiah Mobley and the rest of this USC team, the Trojans will enter 2022 with an unbeaten record and look like one of the nation’s best teams. They’ve had twelve chances to prove that last year’s run to the Elite Eight was no fluke and have delivered with each opportunity. They haven’t exactly been toppling the toughest teams in the nation, but this team still looks tough.
Among USC’s early wins, a stretch that saw them beat San Diego State, Utah, and Washington State really stands out. For the most part, they’ve taken care of inferior foes, scoring a nice win over Georgia Tech in their most recent outing last weekend. Unfortunately, the Trojans are currently on a COVID pause and may not play again for a couple of weeks.
When you take a deep dive into this USC team, you see a Trojans team that plays very solid defense. They are one of the better teams in the nation in the paint on both sides of the ball, with Mobley in particular standing out this season, with brother Evan already in the NBA. Due to that COVID pause, games with Arizona and Arizona State have already been scratched for next week; we’ll just have to see when USC can get back on the court and if they have that same intensity they’ve had in the first month and a half of the season.