NCAA Tournament March Madness
#28 USC
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Projected seed: 4
USC’s résumé pairs eye-catching scoring and a handful of marquee wins away from home — neutral-site victories over Boise State, Seton Hall and Arizona State and a road triumph at Oregon — with some alarming close calls like the narrow result against Troy that expose defensive wobble. The offense can mask unevenness against lesser opposition but the resume still needs signature results against the league’s best, and a stretch of big tests at Michigan and Michigan State plus a home date with Purdue and showdowns at Ohio State, Wisconsin and UCLA will determine whether those flashy wins hold up under pressure. If the Trojans can convert that scoring punch into reliable road and neutral-site success while tightening up late-game defense, the current body of work will look much more convincing.
| Date | Opponent | Ranking | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/3 | Cal Poly | 223 | W94-64 |
| 11/9 | Manhattan | 304 | W114-83 |
| 11/14 | (N)Illinois St | 116 | W87-67 |
| 11/20 | Troy | 145 | W107-106 |
| 11/24 | (N)Boise St | 61 | W70-67 |
| 11/25 | (N)Seton Hall | 66 | W83-81 |
| 11/26 | (N)Arizona St | 82 | W88-75 |
| 12/2 | @Oregon | 83 | W82-77 |
| 12/6 | Washington | 60 | 75% |
| 12/9 | @San Diego | 268 | 94% |
| 12/14 | Washington St | 165 | 95% |
| 12/17 | UT San Antonio | 259 | 98% |
| 12/21 | Brown | 229 | 97% |
| 1/2 | @Michigan | 1 | 11% |
| 1/5 | @Michigan St | 11 | 23% |
| 1/9 | @Minnesota | 109 | 72% |
| 1/13 | Maryland | 90 | 84% |
| 1/17 | Purdue | 2 | 31% |
| 1/21 | Northwestern | 56 | 74% |
| 1/25 | @Wisconsin | 27 | 39% |
| 1/28 | @Iowa | 32 | 40% |
| 1/31 | Rutgers | 126 | 90% |
| 2/3 | Indiana | 24 | 60% |
| 2/8 | @Penn St | 96 | 69% |
| 2/11 | @Ohio St | 36 | 43% |
| 2/18 | Illinois | 17 | 50% |
| 2/21 | Oregon | 83 | 83% |
| 2/24 | @UCLA | 33 | 42% |
| 2/28 | Nebraska | 48 | 71% |
| 3/4 | @Washington | 60 | 55% |
| 3/7 | UCLA | 33 | 64% |