Some will say the hype is justified. Others (UCLA fans?) might say the hype will be empty and meaningless until the Trojans validate it. This much is clear, though: If Bronny James does pick USC over Oregon and Ohio State, the Trojans are going to be discussed as a Final Four contender.
That is not hyperbole. That is not embellishment. That is a levelheaded read of the situation for USC hoops. Why are we saying this? Because of the decision of Boogie Ellis to return to the Trojans for next season and use his extra year of COVID eligibility.
Some perspective on USC basketball’s preseason rankings:
The 2007 Trojans went to the Sweet 16 but were not thought of as a Final Four team heading into 2008. USC was No. 18 in the preseason rankings.
The 2001 Trojans reached the Elite Eight. The 2002 team was No. 20 in the preseason rankings.
The 2009 team with DeMar DeRozan and Taj Gibson? No. 19 in the preseason rankings.
The 1992 Harold Miner team which got a No. 2 seed at the NCAA Tournament? That team was nowhere to be found in the preseason rankings.
The 2021 Elite Eight team? Nowhere in the preseason rankings.
USC getting preseason hype as a Final Four team is something we haven’t seen at any point in the past 45 years.
USC — which is battling Oregon and Ohio State in the recruitment of Bronny James — checked in at No. 16 in ESPN’s way-too-early preseason top 25 rankings, right after the April 3 national championship game won by Connecticut over San Diego State. Colorado was No. 13, and Arizona was the one Pac-12 team in the top 10.
That was before the Boogie Ellis announcement.
USC is probably a top-12 team right now based on Boogie’s return.
Then add Bronny James.
The Trojans would likely be a preseason top-10 team.
That’s what a Final Four contender is (at least on paper).
The Trojans would be picked in the top two of the Pac-12 preseason polls, and would likely pick up some first-place votes alongside Arizona and Colorado.
This is not normal.
If Bronny James does choose to play for USC, the Trojans are going to be in the big leagues … and in this case, we’re not talking about football.
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