LA Sports Hub
Fansided

USC: Hope is Not Gone as Basketball Team Makes Field of 68

By Mary Coyne

Mar 9, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC Trojans forward Bennie Boatwright (25) gets around UCLA Bruins forward Ike Anigbogu (13) during the second half during the Pac-12 Conference Tournament at T-Mobile Arena. UCLA won 76-74. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2017; Las Vegas, NV, USA; USC Trojans forward Bennie Boatwright (25) gets around UCLA Bruins forward Ike Anigbogu (13) during the second half during the Pac-12 Conference Tournament at T-Mobile Arena. UCLA won 76-74. Mandatory Credit: Joshua Dahl-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The USC Trojans are not yet “in” the field of 64-teams for the 2017 NCAA basketball tournament, but they’re not “out” either.

The USC Trojans must win a play-in game on Wednesday in order to make it into the main bracket as an 11th seed. In 2011, the NCAA tournament format changed to allow four preliminary games with teams seeded anywhere between #11 and #14. The Trojans will play Providence in this “First Four” round on Wednesday from Dayton, Ohio.

I’ll be honest; I was worried for the Trojans. Even with a 24-9 record, including victories over Southern Methodist and UCLA, I thought that only 2 victories over top-20 teams this season, combined with their total breakdown in February where they lost 4 games in a row, would prove to be too much for the committee to overlook.

But the committee saw it differently. With a victory over UCLA in January along with several impressive non-conference wins on their resume, USC emerged from the bubble and returns to the field of 68 for a second consecutive year.

Trojan Coach Andy Enfield did not seem worried last week when asked about his team’s chances of making it into the field of 64.

More from USC Trojans

“I think we’re a pretty good team,” Enfield said. “We’ve got 24 wins. You don’t get 24 wins if you’re not a good team.”

The Trojans will have their chance to earn a spot in the Eastern bracket on Wednesday when they take on the Providence Friars. They hope to avenge their heartbreaking last-second loss to the same team in last year’s first round of the tournament. The sting of losing by one point on a last-second layup is surely fresh in their minds and will provide, I’d imagine, some serious motivation for the team.

The winner of Wednesday’s matchup will go on to meet SMU in the first round from Tulsa. USC beat SMU back in November 78-73 at the Galen Center.

Next: Angels: Three Trade Rumors

Tip-off from Dayton on Wednesday is 6:10 PST on truTV.  #FightOn

Home/USC Trojans