NCAA Men’s Bracketology: Where the Gamecocks project

Is USC in the NCAA Tournament? What espn.com says: South Carolina (24-7 (11-7), RPI: 46, SOS: 164) should get in the tournament without much cause for concern. That’s likely true even if it falls victim to either Mississippi State or Georgia in its first SEC tournament game. That said, we’re going to wait and see how things shake out everywhere else on the bubble before we lock in the Gamecocks, because here’s a thing we know about the committee in recent years: It hates bad nonconference schedules. If USC is on the borderline – and it isn’t, at least not right now – that 296th-ranked nonconference schedule could be a serious problem. Safety first.

Projections

espn.com:

USC (8) vs. Cincinnati (9) at Raleigh (West)

cbssports.com:

USC (10) vs.

Colorado (7) at St. Louis (Midwest)

sbnation.com:

USC (8) vs. Saint Joseph’s (9) at Raleigh (South)

usatoday.com:

USC (9) vs.

Providence (8) at Raleigh (South)

This story was originally published March 10, 2016 at 9:38 PM with the headline "NCAA Men’s Bracketology: Where the Gamecocks project."