Intro: The USC Trojans’ calling card as they enter March Madness is their defense. They led the Pac-10 conference allowing 62.4 points per game, and senior guard Marcus Simmons was named Pac-10 Defensive Player Of The Year. Head coach Kevin O’Neill employs a six-man rotation, with three seniors, two juniors, and a freshman.
Record: 18-13 (10-8 in Pac-10 play)
RPI: 69, per CBS Sports
Key wins: USC has three wins over ranked teams this season. The most impressive was a 73-56 blowout win over No. 19 Texas at Galen Center in Los Angeles on December 5. They also beat No. 19 Tennessee by a point on the road on December 21. USC beat regular season Pac-10 champ Arizona 65-57 in Los Angeles on February 24, and will have to do so again in the Pac-10 Tournament semifinals if USC has any chance at making the NCAA Tournament.
Key losses: USC led by two points over No. 3 Kansas with 40 seconds remaining at Allen Fieldhouse on December 18, but ultimately succumbed to the Jayhawks, 70-68. A win there would have made for three wins against ranked teams in a four-game stretch in December.
Player(s) to watch: Junior forward Nikola Vucevic was a legitimate conference Player of the Year candidate, averaging 17.7 points and a conference-best 10.3 rebounds per contest. Vucevic had 20 double-doubles on the season, also best in the Pac-10. Senior forward Alex Stepheson is Vucevic’s partner in crime in the paint, averaging 9.9 points and 9.0 rebounds on the season himself.
For more NCAA Tournament coverage of the USC Trojans, please visit Conquest Chronicles and SB Nation Los Angeles.
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