NCAA Tournament Sleeper: The USC Trojans

When searching for potential NCAA Tournament sleepers, one team stood out to me:

The USC Trojans.

The primary reasons why the Trojans stood out have more to do with their draw than their own level of play.

In the opening round against Kansas State, the Trojans will take on an ultra-talented freshman who has the inside track to win Player of the Year. Where have we seen this script before?

Didn’t the Trojans knock super freshman Kevin Durant and the Texas Longhorns out of last year’s NCAA Tournament?

The Kansas State Wildcats are 20-11 on the year, but are only 5-8 away from home. They’ve struggled to beat such powerhouses as UCF and Rider. Plus, they’re only 2-7 against teams in the NCAA tournament.

Yet, there is Michael Beasley brazenly declaring that he’ll go for 40 points against an underwhelming Nebraska team. That was, of course, before Nebraska’s defense frustrated Beasley and let him mentally check himself out of the game.

Beasley’s not a leader; he’s a bully, and bullies turn into cowards when opponents match their intensity.

In the second round, the Trojans will probably face a Wisconsin team that is big and strong, but is vulnerable to long scoring droughts. The Trojans uptempo offense, and their players’ abilities to create their own shots may be the formula to knock off Wisconsin—or Cal State Fullerton.

Let’s not forget how bad Wisconsin looked in last year’s first round matchup where they struggled to survive Texas A&M Corpus Christi.

What other scary teams are there in USC’s bracket? The athletically-limited Gonzaga Bulldogs or Davidson Wildcats? The powerful, but plodding Georgetown Hoyas will be a challenge, but not one the Trojans can’t overcome.

USC has a number of impressive road wins under their belts. They beat UCLA and Oregon on the road, and they knocked off a solid Arizona State team in the Pac-10 tournament.

The Trojans played in the toughest conference in the nation, yet they still had many impressive non-conference performances as well. USC lost by only four points to Kansas and Memphis—two No. 1 seeds—while beating Oklahoma, San Diego, and Southern Illinois.

O.J. Mayo has a lot of work to do as a point guard, but he’s a gifted scorer who can put up points against all but the best defenses.

The Trojans attack ball handlers and force turnovers on defense. They have a talented post defender in Taj Gibson, and boast an explosive second option in Davon Jefferson.

The Men of Troy run often, and they run effectively.

I have them running all the way to the Elite Eight.