NCAA Tournament March Madness Bubble Watch: USC

NCAA Tournament March Madness

#126 USC

Bubble Watch | Bracketology

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Projection: need to automatically qualify

USC's season has presented significant challenges evidenced by their mixed results against varying caliber of opponents. Notably, the loss to St. Mary's was detrimental, showcasing weaknesses, particularly on defense, while their recent victories against teams like Chattanooga and Grambling were encouraging but hardly standout wins. They’ve faced tough competition ahead, such as games against Oregon and Indiana, where their chances of securing a win are modest at best. If they can capitalize against middle-tier teams like Iowa and Michigan while pulling at least one upset against top opponents like UCLA or Illinois, their standings will improve. However, losing to teams like California and Nebraska would severely jeopardize their tournament prospects, firmly placing them in a position where automatic qualification becomes essential for postseason play.

Date	Opponent	Ranking	Outcome
11/4	Chattanooga	191	W77-51
11/7	Idaho St	109	W75-69
11/13	UT Arlington	142	W98-95
11/17	California	85	L71-66
11/20	San Jose St	259	W82-68
11/24	Grambling	135	W80-69
11/28	(N)St Mary's CA	29	L71-36
12/4	Oregon	23	39%
12/7	@Washington	169	49%
12/15	Montana St	130	54%
12/18	CS Northridge	82	50%
12/22	Southern Univ	240	62%
1/4	Michigan	59	46%
1/8	@Indiana	75	41%
1/11	@Illinois	10	29%
1/14	Iowa	40	43%
1/18	Wisconsin	34	42%
1/22	@Nebraska	36	34%
1/27	UCLA	18	38%
2/1	Michigan St	43	44%
2/4	@Northwestern	79	42%
2/7	@Purdue	26	33%
2/11	Penn St	19	38%
2/15	Minnesota	120	54%
2/20	@Maryland	32	34%
2/23	@Rutgers	88	43%
2/26	Ohio St	12	37%
3/1	@Oregon	23	32%
3/5	Washington	169	57%
3/8	@UCLA	18	31%