USC Basketball Bracketology: Trojans Average No. 9 Seed (2/27)

USC basketball’s bracketology projections have continued to tumble after a stunning loss to ASU on Sunday night.

Once looking like a solid pick for the NCAA tournament, USC basketball faces the prospect of the bubble as the season nears its close.

Before the weekend, USC averaged a 8.79 in seeding, per BracketMatrix.com, which compiles over 100 bracket projections from across the web to get a comprehensive look at each teams bracketology.

After an 83-82 loss to Arizona State on Sunday, however, the Trojans slipped to an average seed of 9.71.

The downward trajectory was no surprise at the beginning of USC’s four-game skid. Facing highly-ranked squads like Oregon, UCLA and Arizona in consecutive games, the Trojans were always likely to suffer losses a slip in tournament projections as a result.

However, the slip up versus the Sun Devils doesn’t get a pass. It was USC’s first loss outside of the RPI Top 100. Now, the Trojans look like a bubble team with a stretch of must-win contests ahead of them.

CBS Sports dropped USC from a No. 7 seed down to a No. 9 following the losses to Arizona and ASU. In that projection, the men of Troy would face Dayton in the opening round in Salt Lake City.

Joe Lunardi’s bracket at ESPN has USC occupying the West’s No. 11 seed, facing Creighton in the first round. Lunardi had the Trojans as a No. 10 last week.

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Yahoo! Sports’ Brad Evans posted the Trojans at a No. 10, having filled a No. 9 spot last week. He notes that “SMU/UCLA home wins [are] keeping SC afloat.”

After USC’s loss to Arizona but before the tumble against ASU, Sports Illustrated’s Michael Beller dropped Andy Enfield’s squad down from a No. 7 to a No. 10 seed.

The Trojans also slipped in the CollegeSportsMadness.com bracket, from a No. 7 to a No. 8, with Michigan as their first opponent.

While USC is still expected to make the tournament in most brackets, the Trojans cannot afford to drop much further. Home contests against Washington and Washington State to finish out the season this week are pivotal while the Pac-12 tournament should be a chance to bolster the resume a bit more.