USC knew it needed to do well in the Pac-10 Tournament to get a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The question is, did they do enough? USC convincingly beat Cal in the quarterfinals on Thursday, but lost a close game last night with top seed Arizona, 67-62. As it stands now, USC (19-14, 10-8) is firmly on the bubble in the latest bracketology, with differing views by SB Nation and ESPN as to where USC stands.
In Chris Dobbertean's latest bracket projections on SB Nation, the Trojans are on the outside looking in, one of the first four teams missing the cut. Meanwhile, Joe Lunardi of ESPN has USC as one of his last four teams in, as they are projected by Lunardi as a No. 12 seed in a play-in game against Penn State.
Both Lunardi and Dobbertean agree that the Arizona, Washington, and UCLA will all make it from the Pac-10. The Wildcats are projected in both brackets to be a No. 5 seed, with a chance to move up in a victory in today's Pac-10 Tournament final. UCLA figures to play in a 7/10 game, as Lunardi has them as a No. 7 seed while Dobbertean picks the Bruins as a No. 10 seed. Washington is picked as a No. 10 seed by Lunardi, and a No. 11 by Dobbertean.
For more local NCAA hoops news and information, be sure to read Bruins Nation and Conquest Chronicles.