Men’s basketball is outside top 25 in rankings

Brian Chin | Daily Trojan
Back on the hardwood · Head coach Andy Enfield will begin his fourth season at the helm of the men’s basketball program. He is coming off his best season yet in 2015-2016, when the Trojans won 21 games.

Coming off its first appearance in the NCAA tournament in five years, the men’s basketball team will enter the 2016-2017 season just outside the top 25 rankings in the USA Today Coaches Poll and — in a separate poll — is predicted to finish seventh in the Pac-12 by the media.

Both lists were released late last week. USC received 14 votes in the coaches poll, placing it in the top 40. Three Pac-12 teams placed in the top 25 — Oregon came in fifth, Arizona 11th and UCLA 20th. Cal received 43 votes, third most among teams not in the top 25.

In the Pac-12 media poll, USC finished behind Washington and ahead of Utah, with Oregon claiming the top spot for the first time.

Last season, the Trojans were predicted to finish 10th in the Pac-12. They wound up sixth with a 21-13 overall record and a 9-9 clip in conference play, surpassing expectations.

This year, USC will be tasked with replacing the production of Julian Jacobs and Nikola Jovanovic, significant contributors last season who both declared for the NBA draft. The Trojans also lost Katin Reinhardt, Darion Clark, Malik Marquetti and Malik Martin and will have to rely on recruits and transfers to step up in 2016-2017.