Even though I haven't watched a whole lot of hoops in my day I have always enjoyed selection Sunday. I think it's neat to see kids and adults jump for joy when they hear their team called into the tournament. Of course, it equally saddens me when teams who are not called have the look of dejection on their face.
This year has been exciting for USC basketball. We have some ups and downs this season but to even be in the mix is a lot more than some people expected. USC has had a lot attention on it this season and at times they have performed well under pressure while at others they have buckled.
So where do we stand? I have been saying that SC would get in to the tournament but that continuing to win games would only help their seeding in the tournament. A few losses down the stretch have hurt their chances to have a better seed than where they now stand in ESPN's latest Bracketology rankings, SC's position hasn't changed since 3/5.
But the OC Register's Mark Saxon makes some good points in his article today:
The anxiety level rises when the Trojans contemplate the opponent, a team that gives them matchup nightmares with its two 7-footers. There's more: The Cardinal's starting point guard, Anthony Goods, is scheduled to return from a three-week injury hiatus.
The Trojans have reasons to fret.
... Win-one-for-the-seeding doesn't exactly have a heroic ring to it, but it's sort of the motivational engine that is driving the Trojans (21-10, 11-7 Pac-10). Stanford (18-11, 10-8) is standing softly on a bubble, meaning it might need a victory Thursday to extend its season.
The stakes might not be winner-take-all, but they're palpable for both teams.
I agree, terrible losses to ASU and UW as well as the season finale heartbreaker to WSU have made some think that SC isn't necessary a lock to get in. If we don't make it in I think it would self-serving for SC fans to say "well, we weren't expected to do well this season anyway..." I'm not buying into that crap. The fact is regardless of how we thought we would do we did have a great season so you can't turn your back now especially if you we cheering them on.
I think SC has some worrying to do but it is easily solved with wins. I have faith that they can see it through but we need to be prepared for a tough road ahead. We don't have any history to fall back upon in order to turn some heads so its up to Coach Floyd and his team to do the heavy lifting and the weight just got a little bit heavier by not locking up the #2 seed in the Pac Tournament.
Lets hope they play with a sense of urgency and not a sense of panic.