USC basketball coach Andy Enfield didn't want to frame it as such in the moment last March, but what would ultimately become a deep postseason run all the way to the Elite Eight was crucial for his program.

Enfield had recruiting humming like a machine with three one-and-done first-round NBA draft picks in three years and there had been decent regular-season results, but the NCAA tournament success was still lacking a year ago with just two short-lived tournament appearances through his first seven seasons.

With that box now checked as well, the narrative pivots to what Enfield and the Trojans can do to build upon that memorable March in continuing to elevate the program.

"I think it was important to make a deep tournament run," Enfield said Friday after practice, making the very acknowledgement he had hedged around late last season. "The year before we were very good, 22-9, but the NCAA tournament was cancelled. I thought we were really in position to do well in the tournament the year before, so I was happy that we actually got to play because our players deserved it. They had a great regular season and to go to the Elite Eight, second time in 67 years, has put USC basketball in a national spotlight. ...

"For the nation to understand that players can come here, get a great education, they can go to the NBA -- we just put six guys in the league the last four and a half years, which I think is third or fourth in the country -- so I think USC basketball is on the rise and I think players around the country and regionally are noticing that."

RELATED: Isaiah Mobley steps into the spotlight as USC focal point this season

The latest recruiting class is another testament to that as Enfield and his staff have landed commits from five-star 7-foot center Vincent Iwuchukwu (the No. 15-ranked player in the 2022 class), four-star forward and top-50 national prospect Kijani Wright, four-star forward and top-100 national prospect Tre White (who committed on Saturday) and three-star guard Oziyah Sellers.

Those players don't arrive until next year, though, and with the star of that Elite Eight team -- 7-footer Evan Mobley -- now starring in the NBA, the Trojans have plenty to prove anew on the court this season.

USC was picked third in the Pac-12's preseason poll behind UCLA and Oregon, but it opens on the outside of the national rankings as the season tips off Tuesday night vs. CSUN in Galen Center.

"I think honestly we're a little underrated based on preseason rankings and stuff like that. But I'm excited to go out and prove it," junior forward Isaiah Mobley said. "I feel like even last year they had us around fifth and we ended with the most wins in the Pac, so I feel like we'll just try to repeat that again. Critics can say what they say, everybody's entitled to their own opinion and I'm not saying they're wrong, but we just carry a chip on our shoulder like we did last year and just come out with tenacity and assertiveness and try to get as many wins as we can."

Isaiah Mobley is now the leader of this team entering his third season, after testing the NBA draft waters before choosing to return to school.

The Trojans lost their two top scorers from last season in the younger Mobley and guard Tahj Eaddy, so a lot of USC's outlook this season hinges on the elder Mobley's ability to become a reliable game-to-game offensive focal point in his third year.

He ranked third on the team with 9.9 points per game and second with 7.3 rebounds per game last season, but it was an up-and-down campaign for the 6-foot-10 forward until the postseason, when he averaged 16 points and 6.5 rebounds through the Trojans' four NCAA tournament games. After making just 7 3-pointers the entire regular season, he suddenly emerged as the team's best perimeter shooter, making 10 of 15 3s over the final six games, starting in the Pac-12 tournament.

"I think he's improved his perimeter shooting -- you saw that in the NCAA tournament last year. He made some 3s, he's confident from the 3-point line, he's a very good passer, very good decision maker and defensively he's exciting," Enfield said.

"We do want him to be more aggressive and shoot more shots from the field this year because he has expanded his range. He's a true inside-outside player right now, he's a very good passer and defensively he has to keep building. I thought he had a great second half of the year defensively last season guarding post plays and switching out on guards and smaller players."

USC also returns veteran wing players Drew Peterson (9.8 PPG) and Isaiah White (7.6), point guard Ethan Anderson (5.7) and forwards Max Agbonkpolo (3.9) and Chevez Goodwin (5.6). All of those guys are juniors or older, but more will be expected from each this season as the roster is constructed.

"We're excited about the development of our players. We'll see if we go produce when the lights turn on," Enfield said.

Perhaps the most interesting of all of those guys is Anderson, as the Trojans are again thin on proven ball-handlers. Enfield said the junior guard has lost 15-20 pounds and is past the back issues that hindered him throughout last season.

"Ethan looks great physically. He's more explosive, his body is in tremendous shape right now, he's dedicated, he's very passionate about the game, he's a very tough young man, so we're excited about his offseason," Enfield said. "He has that explosiveness back. He went through a tough back injury last year that prevented him from doing certain things."

Anderson will share the backcourt responsibilities with Memphis transfer Boogie Ellis, who averaged 10.2 PPG last season for the Tigers while being honored as the AAC's Co-Sixth Man of the Year. He is expected to fill Eaddy's void as a reliable scorer and sparkplug for the offense.

"Boogie is a dynamic lead guard. He has exceptional quickness, change of speed, change of direction and he can shoot the ball. So he'll be hard to guard," Enfield said. "He's a developing lead guard. His decision-making has really improved in the last two weeks -- I've seen some passes and decisions that he was not making a month ago.

"We thought we needed some experience at that position and Boogie really fit that perfectly to come in and take over for Tahj and develop his overall game. Tahj was a little safer, he didn't turn the ball over as much, he didn't make as many risky plays on offense and was a terrific shooter and he was very quick. He could get to his spots. A little different athletically. Boogie's a more dynamic athlete, can jump a little higher, but Tahj was just as quick and creative, very crafty. Boogie is very explosive, equally as good a shooter from the perimeter, and both players have the ability to make plays for their teammates."

The wildcards for this team are 6-foot-11 redshirt sophomore forward Joshua Morgan and 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Boubacar Coulibaly, who played sparingly last season; freshmen guards Reese Dixon-Waters and Malik Thomas; and freshmen forwards Kobe Johnson and Harrison Hornery.

Enfield suggested that Morgan will play a big role on the defensive end for the Trojans, while the hope is that Thomas or Dixon-Waters can contribute to the perimeter shooting.

"I think everyone has elevated their game, which is important. I think we're really deep this year, we've got some really good freshmen, Boogie's an excellent transfer, and all the returning guys elevated their game so we're even better. I think we're deeper," Mobley said.

"... We have so many guys, it's been super competitive in here. Drew's been doing well, Ethan transformed his body and is playing real well, Max has elevated his game, Isaiah White's been balling lately, Boubacar even. The freshmen [have] learned so much. I feel like right now we seem to be ahead of schedule. Obviously that will come to test on Tuesday, but I love where we're at right now and I feel that as a whole everyone made a leap."

Indeed, the Trojans will learn a lot more about themselves starting Tuesday night vs. CSUN before traveling to road games Saturday at Temple and next Tuesday at Florida Gulf Coast.

The question is no longer whether Enfield can get this program over the hump in the tournament -- now it's whether his Trojans can become a perennial postseason presence.

"We've had a good preseason. I think everybody's ready to play a game against someone other than themselves. We had two scrimmages, but Tuesday night I'm excited for our players to start the season," Enfield said.

When: 6 p.m. PT Tuesday

Where: Galen Center, Los Angeles

TV: Pac-12 Network

About the opponent: Cal State Northridge, out of the Big West Conference, went 9-13 last season. The Matadors lost leading scorer TJ Starks (21.7 PPG), but they return their next two top offensive players in forward Lance Coleman II (13.9) and guard Darius Brown II (10.5).