The USC Trojans defeated the Alabama State Hornets on Tuesday as part of the last Pac-12-SWAC Legacy Series. USC won 79-59 and grabbed a win, but no one is impressed. USC defeated an opponent it was expected to beat, and nothing more. The Trojans closed out their 11-game nonconference schedule with a hugely disappointing 6-5 record. This team will need to catch fire in the Pac-12 season in order to have a realistic shot at the NCAA Tournament.
What will hurt USC’s chances of making March Madness this season is that wins over UCLA aren’t going to carry a lot of value. If USC can beat the Bruins — which no one should take for granted — a win won’t move the needle. UCLA lost at home to Cal State Northridge on Tuesday night. The shocking 76-72 loss snapped UCLA’s 29-game home-court winning streak. It also knocked the Bruins way down the board in terms of their KenPom ranking and their NET rating. UCLA has no remotely good wins. The Bruins were competitive against Marquette, Gonzaga, Villanova, and Ohio State, but did not beat any of those teams.
Both USC and UCLA therefore have five losses before Christmas and before the start of Pac-12 play. The Pac-12 Conference has had a horrendous men’s basketball season, minus the Arizona Wildcats and Utah Utes. Colorado is showing signs of improving, and Washington has been okay, but in truth, Arizona is the only elite team in the conference, and a lot of pundits think Arizona can produce a perfect conference record due to the lack of quality elsewhere in the league.
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