NCAAB USC is No. 20 in USA TODAY Sports men’s college basketball poll
The USC Trojans are in the top 20 of the USA TODAY Sports men’s college basketball poll this week.
The Trojans were No. 22 in the preseason edition of the poll. They moved up two spots after beating Kansas State and then Cal State Bakersfield this past week. USC has gotten off to a good start this season, led by Isaiah Collier and Boogie Ellis. Kobe Johnson played well in the opener against Kansas State but suffered an injury which caused him to miss the Bakersfield game.
USC is still waiting for the return of Vince Iwuchukwu to the lineup. He had back problems late last season which caused him to miss both the Pac-12 and NCAA Tournaments.
USC also hopes Bronny James can return to the court after suffering cardiac arrest in July. No timetable yet exists for a return, though Bronny is supposed to have a medical checkup later in November which will presumably determine when he might be cleared to resume basketball activity and eventually play.
Here is the full poll below:
KANSAS JAYHAWKS
Kansas plays Kentucky Tuesday, November 14.
PURDUE BOILERMAKERS
Purdue beat Xavier on Monday and is unbeaten.
ARIZONA WILDCATS
Arizona won at Duke on Friday and looks like the team to beat in the Pac-12, which is not what USC wanted to see.
UCONN HUSKIES
The defending national champions are a top-four team.
MARQUETTE GOLDEN EAGLES
Marquette and UConn will battle it out in the Big East this season.
HOUSTON COUGARS
Houston is playing great defense early in the season.
CREIGHTON BLUEJAYS
Creighton made the Elite Eight last season and is a top-eight team right now.
TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
The Vols scored a quality win over Wisconsin.
Follow Vols Wire for more coverage.
DUKE BLUE DEVILS
Duke lost to Arizona and now plays Michigan State on November 14.
FLORIDA ATLANTIC OWLS
The Owls remain one of the most fascinating teams in the country.
MIAMI HURRICANES
Miami survived a close game against Florida International on Monday.
GONZAGA BULLDOGS
Gonzaga plays USC on December 2.
BAYLOR BEARS
Baylor is 3-0 and in the top 15.
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
Arkansas won on Monday night to remain unbeaten.
Follow Razorbacks Wire for more coverage.
TEXAS A&M AGGIES
A&M won a big game against Ohio State.
Follow Aggies Wire for more coverage.
KENTUCKY WILDCATS
The Wildcats play No. 1 Kansas on November 14.
TEXAS LONGHORNS
The Longhorns are an intriguing team after their Elite Eight run last season.
Follow Longhorns Wire for more coverage.
NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
North Carolina hasn’t been tested yet this season.
Follow Tar Heels Wire for more coverage.
MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS
The Spartans are one of the worst 3-point-shooting teams in the country. They lost at home to James Madison and fell more than a dozen spots in the poll relative to the preseason edition.
Follow Spartans Wire for more coverage.
USC TROJANS
USC looks good. Getting players healthy is a huge key for this team, which currently doesn’t have a lot of depth.
VILLANOVA WILDCATS
Shortly after this poll was released, Villanova lost to Pennsylvania on Monday night. The Wildcats will not be in the top 25 next week.
ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
Alabama is a work in progress this season after losing some NBA-level players from last season’s team.
Follow Roll Tide Wire for complete coverage.
ILLINOIS FIGHTING ILLINI
The Big Ten is struggling. Can Illinois make an upward move?
SAINT MARY'S GAELS
Saint Mary’s suffered a brutal loss on Sunday at home against Weber State, blowing a 14-point lead in the last 12 minutes. SMC went nearly seven minutes without scoring a point. The Gaels were 5 of 27 on 3-pointers and committed 15 turnovers in an atrocious offensive performance.
VIRGINIA CAVALIERS
