As we keep saying, this is all very different for USC basketball. As good as this program has been in recent years, a normal preseason poll or set of rankings would usually put USC third in the Pac-12 behind Arizona and UCLA. In a typical offseason, USC would be projected to be a No. 7 or 8 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Trojans would be expected to make March Madness, but not much more than that. USC has had good teams, but not heavyweight teams.
That is different this offseason.
247Sports has released a college basketball top 25 after the NBA draft. In this set of rankings, USC is No. 12, four spots higher than the Arizona Wildcats. USC is one spot ahead of (potential future Pac-12 member) San Diego State, meaning that the Trojans are not just picked to win the Pac-12; they’re also the top-ranked team in the Pacific time zone, ahead of UCLA and Gonzaga as well.
You would have to go back to the 1970s, when USC had preseason top-seven rankings twice (1970-71 and 1971-72), to find a USC team ranked in the top nine before the season began. No USC team since the 1971-72 team has been a top-nine team in preseason polls. That’s how rare USC gets a taste of major preseason expectations. Being No. 12 this year is not a top-nine placement, but it’s close. The Trojans finally have Cadillac talent on their roster.
It’s just a few more months — four, to be specific — before we begin to see what Bronny James and Isaiah Collier and friends are able to achieve.
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