USC basketball NCAA bracket: Trojans an 8 seed, will face Providence in first round

The USC Trojans are back in the NCAA Tournament, but they have some big battles ahead to get to the Sweet 16. Can USC score two tough wins deep in the road to get to the second weekend?

USC will start their run in the Dance against Providence in Raleigh. The Trojans drew the dreaded 8/9 seed matchup, which means if they advance, they'll have to most likely battle North Carolina or the winner of Florida Gulf Coast and Farleigh Dickinson. That is not a bad finish for a Trojan team that was expected to finish 10th overall in the Pac-12. USC swept UCLA in three meetings and handled their business for the first half of the season, although they did fade later on.