As the calendar flips to February, the NCAA Tournament cases of many bubble squads are on the verge of being made or broken. One of the most interesting resumes belongs to Andy Enfield’s USC Basketball Trojans.
USC was teetering around NCAA Tournament contention all season long, but didn’t really make a strong, over-the-top push for a bid. That changed last week, when the Trojans shook up the Pac-12 with a tremendous upset over their close rival, the UCLA Bruins.
The win catapulted the Trojans into the national spotlight for the first time this season. It also put USC squarely in the discussion for a bid in March Madness, a conversation that may be ongoing until Selection Sunday.
As conference play nears the halfway point, it’s time to check in with a team squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble: the USC Trojans.
Heading into February, USC is 15-6 overall and 7-3 in Pac-12 play. The Utah Utes are even with the Trojans for third place in the conference standings, but the Utes have two more games in the books – including one loss – so the Trojans are better positioned for a third-place finish. The team is one game out of first place in the league.
The team has a relatively weak schedule for the rest of the regular season, largely because the Pac-12 is a weak conference. With both UCLA games in the past, there’s only one game left against a team that is currently ranked.
So what’s the case for USC’s inclusion in the Big Dance? And what’s the case against?