USC Basketball: Upperclass Trojans Sound Off On 2023 March Madness Failures

Two returning USC stalwarts have finally weighed in.

Two returning USC upperclassmen have finally weighed in on the club's disappointing early exit from the NCAA tourney this past March.

The Trojans of course blew their lone March Madness contest last spring, losing 72-62 to Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans in the Round of 64. 

It's time to take the next step. pic.twitter.com/zHTi2fSksv

— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) June 29, 2023

"I was very disappointed," rising senior power forward Joshua Morgan noted. "All of us wanted to make a run in March. That's what we practiced the entire year for, played every game for, just to get to that one moment."

"I was devastated," junior shooting guard Kobe Johnson revealed of the defeat. "Knowing the work that we put in throughout the entire year and where we came from as a team."

Beyond USC's returning upperclassmen, the team's coaching staff also acknowledged that the team defeat came down to a lack of postseason moxie.

"There was a point [where] we were in that game, and [there] were a couple of possessions here and there where we just needed to be a little tougher," assistant coach Jay Morris conceded.

After finishing with a 22-11 overall record (14-6 in the Pac-12), the Trojans sewed up a 10th seed heading into March Madness. The seventh-seeded MSU was favored heading into the matchup, and improved to a 4-3 record in NCAA Tournament play all-time against the Trojans.

USC has qualified for the Big Dance across each of the last three seasons under longtime head coach Andy Enfield, but the team is hoping to get further than the first round next time.