NCAA Tournament: USC Poised To Make A Cinderella-Type Run

In the Midwestern Region, when USC and Kansas State tip-off in Omaha, two possible Cinderella teams match up against one another.Two of the top freshmen in the NCAA go head to head, in a can't-miss match up consisting of O.J. Mayo vs. Michael Beasley, not to mention Mayo going up against his old AAU teammate of Bill Walker.

Both teams have the talent to make a Sweet 16 run, and even deeper, but only one will prevail in the opening round.

Many questions arose in the beginning of USC's season, when they lost their opener to Mercer, 96-81.

They hit a hot streak, and came in having won six in a row, before taking on Kansas and Memphis. They lost both, but showed they definitely had the talent to compete with anybody in the Nation.

Southern Cal's backcourt is obviously headlined by star freshman O.J. Mayo, but it doesn't stop there. Yes, he is their leading scorer, assist man, and plays more minutes than anyone else on the roster, but his supporting cast could be the key to their run in the tournament.

Daniel Hackett plays besides Mayo in the backcourt, and is the nitty-gritty type of player every coach loves. He busts his butt on both ends of the court, and you can count on great defense from him night in and night out.

The starting frontcourt of USC is led by forward Davon Jefferson, and Sophomore Taj Gibson, 6'9" and 6'8", respectively. Each average double figures points-wise, and both average above six boards a game. They are both talented, and will keep improving with time.

Gibson has amazing jumping ability, can go up and block shots, get rebounds, or throw down in someone's face. He amassed 81 blocks over the season, and led the team with over seven rebounds a game.

Jefferson is the prolific scorer, but is not quite as solid under the basket as Gibson. He has the ability to make very good defensive plays, and has shown many very good blocks this season.

Dwight Lewis fills out the starting frontcourt, starting at small forward, standing at 6'5". Lewis plays more like a guard than a forward. He averages just under 11 points a game, and has shown flashes of brilliance in drives to the basket.

When USC shows up ready to play, they are one the hardest teams to beat in all of college basketball.

They have shown signs of greatness, headlined by wins over UCLA, Stanford, and even those close losses to Kansas and Memphis.

Mayo is a bona fide superstar, and has a heck of a supporting cast.

They can beat any team in the nation on any given night, and really could do damage in the NCAA tournament