USC Basketball Bracketology: Trojans Average No. 7 Seed (2/17)

With the NCAA Tournament fast approaching, the USC basketball bracketology outlook has the Trojans averaging a No. 7 seed in projections.

USC basketball is getting ready to face UCLA at Pauley Pavilion in a game which could extend the Trojans’ win streak over the Bruins to it’s longest since World War II.

That game could have a major impact on the Trojans seeding hopes for the 2017 NCAA tournament as the final stretch of the conference season rolls on.

Should the Trojans knock off the No. 6 team in the nation, they’ll add a top-quality road win and take the pressure off getting a result at the McKale Center against No. 5 Arizona next week.

However, losses to the Bruins and the Wildcats will put pressure on the team to close out the final three games of the regular season with wins.

At the moment, USC’s average seed is 7.90, per BracketMatrix.com, which compiles a wide collection of brackets from around the web for a comprehensive look at each team’s bracketology.

National writers are mostly in agreement with a seed somewhere between seven and eight.

Jerry Palm of CBS projects USC as a No. 7 seed in the South with a first round match up against Dayton.

Michael Beller of Sports Illustrated sees the Trojans in the East bracket as a No. 7 with Michigan State on tap.

Another No. 7 seed projection comes from Yahoo! Sports while CollegeSportsMadness.com projects USC in the same spot, facing Arkansas.

Joe Lunardi of ESPN docks Andy Enfield’s squad down to a No. 8 seed in the West, taking on Iowa State in Salt Lake City.

Stewart Mandel of Fox Sports agrees with the location, but he thinks their opponent will be Michigan.

More from Reign of Troy

• Markese Stepp enters transfer portal intending to leave USC football
• USC football’s Alijah Vera-Tucker declares for NFL Draft
• USC football adds Xavion Alford as transfer from Texas
• USC Podcast: RoT Radio Ep. 396 on the Football Season’s Fallout
• Talanoa Hufanga named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, USC football with five first-teamers

At Sporting News, Ryan Fagan lists USC among his No. 8 seed picks as well.

Among the brackets compiled, the Trojans’ highest seed is sixth, as projected by Jonathan Warriner, Tyler Ruckles and Jesse Kramer of TheCatchandShoot.com.

Meanwhile, TeamRankings.com, The Daily Bracket, Tim O’Donnell’s Bracketology and OnPressRow.com give USC their lowest seed as a No. 11.

After battling highly-ranked UCLA and Arizona on the road, USC will look to finish out the season strongly with winnable games at ASU and at home versus Washington State and Washington to further bolster their tournament resume.