Can USC Overcome Key Losses in Path to Pac-12 Championship?
The 2020-2021 NCAA basketball regular season wrapped up this past weekend and the Pac-12 tournament bracket was officially released Sunday night.
The Trojans will be the No.2 seed as Oregon claimed the top-spot in the tournament after winning the Pac for the second consecutive season with a 14-4 conference record.
USC finished second even though they had more wins than the Ducks [15], but had a lower winning percentage (.750) due to their five losses. Nonetheless, the Trojans will have a bye in the first round, and then play the winner of Wednesday's matchup between Utah and Washington.
USC's first game will air on Thursday at 5:30 P.M. against the winner of the No.7 and No.10 contest. If the Trojans win their first game of the tournament, they will then play Friday at 8:30 p.m. versus the winner of the quarterfinal between No.3 Colorado and No.6 Stanford or No.11 California.
If the Trojans were to win in the semifinals, they would then advance to the Pac-12 Championship game. USC's path won't be easy though, as they will most likely cross with the two teams that gave them the most issues this season, in Utah and Colorado.
The Trojans got swept on its Mountain road trip to Boulder and Salt Lake City for the third straight season. USC went 1-3 in the regular season against the two schools they will most likely matchup with in the first two games of the tourney. Even in the one win against the Utes, it was a struggle for Andy Enfield's team.
With the chalk in brackets always being the most likely scenario, the Trojans will have a chance to avenge their losses to the Buffaloes and Utes if they are able to beat both South division foes at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Even though these two teams have given USC all they can handle, this would be a great opportunity for the squad to make adjustments that would hopefully give them momentum entering NCAA March Madness.
With only 11 teams eligible to participate in the 2021 tournament, the event format was adjusted to 10 total games. The top-five seeds received a first round bye to accommodate scheduling since Arizona isn't eligible to participate in the postseason.
Additionally, tip-off times have been adjusted to allow for improved testing protocols and adequate sanitization between games, with three hours slotted for each game compared to the normal of two.
If USC does get the chance to play Utah and Colorado, expect the 21-6 Trojans to come prepared in hopes to avenge losses from earlier in the season when it matters most, in the bracket.
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