The USC Trojans had a rough week last week by losing to both Oregon and Oregon State on the road.
As a result, Joe Lunardi of ESPN has the Trojans as one of the “First Four Out” in his latest bracketology, joining Oregon, Kentucky, and Wisconsin in that group.
The Trojans had been playing well, and an upset victory against UCLA was a significant win on its resume. They hoped to use that high-end Quad 1 win to get into the Big Dance (they were one of the last four byes a week ago).
A loss to the Ducks in Eugene isn’t the end of the world, especially with Dana Altman’s team making a late surge to try and sneak a bid. However, losing to Oregon State was a massive blow to their hopes, and they need to finish the regular season strong to have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament.
USC’s schedule from here on out isn’t too bad, but the Trojans have to rebound after a tough loss to Oregon State. The Trojans face Cal on Thursday and Stanford on Saturday — both at home. They then face Colorado and Utah on the road before finishing with Arizona and Arizona State at home. A loss to Stanford, Cal, or Colorado will likely send them off the bubble altogether.
The Trojans have to go at least 3-1 in their next four games. They probably need to be 5-1 in their next six. If they go 4-2, one of those four wins has to be against Arizona, a team which could be a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
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