Men’s basketball ranked in the Top 25 once again


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The USC men’s basketball team returned to the rankings Monday in both the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Coaches Poll. The Trojans are the No. 23 team in both rankings.

The Men of Troy are coming off a big 80-61 win at home over UCLA last Thursday to finish 3-0 on their recent three-game homestand. They defeated Washington State on Jan. 28 and Washington on Jan. 30 at the Galen Center.

USC had been unranked the last two weeks since leaping into the AP Top 25 three weeks ago. Coming after a three-game win streak in which the Trojans defeated Arizona in four overtimes and UCLA on the road, it was the their first appearance in the Top 25 since 2008.

But they relinquished their spot following back-to-back losses in Oregon to the Ducks and Beavers on Jan. 21 and Jan. 24, respectively.

Currently sitting 23rd in the nation, the Trojans are ahead of Texas and Wichita State in both the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll. Their inclusion gives the Pac-12 three representatives in the polls, as the Trojans join No. 11 Oregon and No. 17 Arizona.

This time, the Trojans will look to remain ranked in the Top 25 for longer than a week. They take on Arizona State on Friday and No. 17 Arizona Sunday on the road, both of whom they beat at home earlier in the season.

USC enters Friday’s game with an 18-5 overall record and a 7-3 clip in conference play, good enough for second in the Pac-12 behind Oregon. On Monday, USA Today predicted the Trojans to enter the NCAA Tournament as a No. 4 seed. Eight conference games remain on the schedule for the Men of Troy.