USC men’s basketball was a strong program at the beginning of the NCAA Tournament era in 1939. In 1940, USC made the Final Four and narrowly lost in the national semifinals. Coach Sam Barry led USC to considerable success, mentoring basketball players who became Hall of Famers as either players or coaches. In 1954, USC made the Final Four again under coach Forrest Twogood.
USC would not make the Elite Eight for the remainder of the 20th century. That’s how tough it has been for the Trojans for most of their history. However, the 2001 team made the Elite Eight. Tim Floyd made three straight NCAA Tournaments from 2007 through 2009. Now Andy Enfield will coach in a third straight NCAA Tournament in 2023, and if the pandemic had not hit in 2020, USC would have played in four straight. It did qualify for four straight, a point we have noted.
Enjoy these USC Men’s NCAA Tournament historical images from our USA TODAY Sports library, which includes some photos from other news services: