For the first time since 2017, the USC basketball team is headed to the NCAA tournament.
There was no suspense about that entering the tournament selection show Sunday -- this has arguably been the best of coach Andy Enfield's eight seasons with the program. The only question was where the Trojans would be seeded and who'd they'd play first.
The bracket reveal matched up with most prognostications for USC (22-7) as the Trojans earned a No. 6 seed and will open up Saturday against the winner of a First Four matchup between No. 11 seeds Wichita State (16-5) and Drake (25-4).
If USC is able to advance, it would then face the winner of No. 3 Kansas (20-8) and No. 14 Eastern Washington (16-7). The Trojans are officially in the West Region, although the entire tournament is being played in Indianapolis, Ind.
This is the third NCAA tournament appearance for Enfield during his time at USC, though his team looked to be on track for an invitation last year before the season was shut down by the onset of the pandemic.
"Last year we were very comfortably in, and this was a similar feeling to last year going into the Pac-12 tournament knowing that we didn't have to win the tournament to be in the NCAA tournament. So this was a fun day for us, it was a day for us to reminisce about our season," Enfield said. "We've had a lot of close wins, some tough losses, but our players have done a great job and we're very, very proud of what they accomplished this season. We practiced for about an hour and 15 minutes, had a really good hard practice here in Las Vegas, and then we got together as a team and had some ice cream and watched the selection show. ...
"We get lost sometimes in the pressure of the tournaments and the regular-season, but it is nice just to take a step back and realize this group has accomplished a tremendous amount and they've had a great season."
Enfield has two NCAA tournament wins with the Trojans -- both coming in 2017 when they advanced out of the First Four play-in round with a win over Providence as a No. 11 seed and then beat SMU in the first round before losing to Baylor. The previous year as a No. 8 seed, USC had lost in the first round to Providence.
Enfield, of course, made a name for himself leading Florida Gulf Coast to the Sweet 16 in 2013, which made him a hot commodity on the coaching market and led to his hiring at USC.
He's had his ups and downs with the Trojans, but this season has been his best coaching job -- and he deservedly earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors for leading USC to a second-place finish in the regular-season standings after being picked 6th in the preseason conference poll. It's the fifth time in the last six years the Trojans reached at least 20 wins, but this is the best winning percentage USC has had in Enfield's eight seasons.
Enfield was asked if he feels he has anything to prove this postseason.
"When you say, is there pressure to get to the second weekend? Yeah, there's pressure on every team in the tournament. That's what March Madness is all about, but this is a whole different team," Enfield said. "We only have three guys on our team that played last year on this team and they didn't play three or four or five years ago when we went to the NCAA tournament, so what happened in the past has no relevance on this team. This is a team that's completely different, they're exciting, they're really good defensively. I think we're one of four teams in the nation that are top 30 in the KenPom offensive and defensive efficiency. ...
"We're going to do our best in the first game and we'll take it from there. If we're lucky enough to win the first game then we'll focus on the second game. That's our mentality. We're excited to be here and we're going to take it game by game."
Again, Enfield deserves plenty of credit for what the Trojans accomplished this season, despite returning only two regular rotation players from last season while adding in 5-star 7-foot freshman Evan Mobley and four mid-major transfers.
Mobley, who became the first Pac-12 player and just the second major conference player ever (following Kentucky's Anthony Davis) to win league player of the year, freshman of the year and defensive player of the year honors in the same season, came as advertised. He is averaging 16.8 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game and played his best basketball this past week in USC's two Pac-12 tournament games, totaling 26 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks in each game while looking more assertive on the offensive end.
"I just know it's a big stage and big players have to step up to the challenge, so I just tried to step up to the challenge, do everything I possibly could to help my team win every game -- from now on especially, it could be our last game -- treat it that way and just really try to go all out," Mobley said.
Tahj Eaddy, who arrived this year as a grad transfer from Santa Clara, emerged as the Trojans' tone-setter offensively while averaging 13.7 points per game and hitting some memorable shots, like the game-winner at UCLA and several big ones down the stretch in the late comeback vs. Colorado on Friday night that ultimately fell short.
Versatile guard Drew Peterson, a transfer from Rice, averages 9.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game and shook off a mid-season slump to rebuild some confidence down the stretch. Forward Isaiah Mobley, one of those three returners, averages 9.0 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Guard Isaiah White, who arrived from Utah Valley, averaged 7.4 points and has had some big moments (like his 14-point performance in the Pac-12 quarterfinals vs. Utah). Point guard Ethan Anderson, another returner, averages 6.1 PPG, and forward Chevez Goodwin, a transfer from Wofford, averages 5.9 points and brings additional size and physicality to the rotation.
Despite not having the traditional summer session to get the team acclimated, due to COVID restrictions, that motley collection of players from across the country, from different backgrounds, found its strength in its defense, ranking 13th in the country in limiting opponents to 39.36 percent shooting, and using its size advantage to rank tied for 18th nationally with an average margin of +7 rebounds per game.
"I just feel that we have a talented ballclub. We're versatile at so many different positions. We feel like we cause a lot of matchup problems for a lot of teams, and I feel like we're good on the defensive side of the ball," Eaddy said. "So whenever you're able to get stops on the defensive end it kind of makes things easy offensively. We're just extremely talented -- I think we could do something special."
USC beat Utah in double overtime before losing to Colorado in the semifinals. Three of the Trojans' seven losses this year came to the Buffaloes, but all the focus had turned forward by Sunday as the team gathered in a conference room at their hotel in Las Vegas to watch the selection show. They'll leave Monday morning for Indianapolis.
"Definitely full of excitement. This is my first time playing in March Madness. This is the biggest stage. I'm just excited, kind of my last go-round here, so just looking to do something special," Eaddy said.
As for the matchups that await them in Indianapolis, both Wichita State and Drake were among the last four teams into the tournament field.
Wichita State is in its first season under coach Isaac Brown, who took over as interim coach in November when Gregg Marshall resigned under pressure and controversy. Brown since signed a 5-year extension while guiding the Shockers to an 11-2 record in the American Athletic Conference and navigating significant COVID setbacks in having nine games postponed/cancelled along the way.
Wichita State is led by sophomore guard Tyson Etienne, who averages 17 points and shoots 39.9 percent from 3-point range (averaging 3 made 3s a game). The Shockers have offensive depth as well with redshirt senior guard Alterique Gilbert (10.3 PPG), junior forward Morris Udeze (9.8 PPG) and junior guard Dennis Dexter (9.4 PPG). Their leading rebounder is 6-foot-6 forward Trey Wade at 5.6 per game.
In fact, Wichita State's lack of size -- Udeze at 6-foot-8 is the only player on the roster taller than 6-foot-6 who averages at least 15 minutes a game, while Clarence Jackson (6-7) and Isaiah Poor Bear-Chandler (6-9, missed the AAC tournament with an ankle injury) come off the bench and Josaphat Bilau (6-10) hasn't played more than 5 minutes in a game since December.
USC has a size advantage against most teams that would be even more pronounced against Wichita State, 7-foot Evan Mobley, 6-foot-10 Isaiah Mobley, 6-foot-9 Goodwin, 6-foot-8 Peterson, 6-foot-7 White and 6-foot-9 Max Agbonkpolo.
As for Drake, it is 25-4, but two of those losses came in its last three games -- against Bradley to end the regular season and against Loyola in the Missouri Valley tournament. The team has five players averaging double-figure points in senior forward ShanQuan Hemphill (14.1 PPG), sophomore guard Joseph Yesufu (12.1 PPG), redshirt junior guard Roman Penn (11.2 PPG), junior guard D.J. Wilkins (10.3 PPG) and redshirt senior forward Tremell Murphy (10.2).
Again, size will be a factor as 6-foot-10 junior starter Darnell Brodie and 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman reserve Nate Ferguson are the only players taller than 6-foot-6 in the rotation.
But Enfield said he hadn't even gotten that deep into any prep just yet.
"If you told me Wichita State had three 7-footers, I'd believe you. If you said we have a size advantage, I'd believe you too. I know nothing about either team other than I think Wichita is in Wichita, Kan., and Drake is somewhere in the Midwest. I'll have to get my map out. Are they are in Iowa? Is that right?" Enfield joked. "I just know both teams have had incredible seasons. Drake was undefeated for a long time, and then Wichita just had a great year in the American. Both of them are tremendous teams, and we'll try to get at it tonight and do a little more research."
Yes, it's a challenge having to prepare for two teams, he reiterated, but it's better than the alternative.
"It is a little more challenging, but we would rather be in 6th seed than in the play-in game and have to win a game and then prepare for someone else," he said.
