8. USC Trojans (15-14, 8-8 Pac-12) LW: 5
Sitting one game above .500 at 15-14 and 8-8 in conference play, the USC Trojans are the perfect example of what it means to sit in the middle of the Pac.
The Trojans have shown flashes of strong play throughout the season, but they can never seem to keep it going for a long period of time.
Their most recent stint ended in a heartbreaking 93-88 loss to Crosstown rival UCLA on Thursday night.
Against the Bruins, senior forward Bennie Boatwright was phenomenal. He finished the night with a team-high 25 points on 9-of-22 shooting to go along with 15 rebounds, six assists, one steal and one block.
The backcourt duo of Jonah Mathews and Kevin Porter Jr. also played extremely well for USC. They were able to combine for 27 points – Mathews being responsible for 17 and the other 10 coming from Porter Jr.
Even though USC fell just short against the Bruins, those three showed how crucial they are to the success of this team. Many people will overlook them, but if that trio plays strong, there is an outside chance that the Trojans cut down the nets in Las Vegas at the Pac-12 Tournament.
USC will close out the regular season with a road trip to the Mountain schools, as they are set to take on the Utah Utes this Thursday on Fox Sports 1 and then the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday.