About USC Trojans Men's Basketball
The University of Southern California has been a mainstay in Division 1 basketball since the 1940s. The Trojans have never won a national championship on the court, but they have been a powerhouse at times. The Trojans now regularly make a handful of NCAA Tournament appearances per decade, including three so far in the 2010s.
First making the Final Four way back in 1940, the Trojans saw early success in that era, repeating the feat in 1954. It would take until 2001 for the program to make the Elite Eight again, where they lost to eventual champions Duke in the finals of the East Regional.
The program has returned in prominence in recent years, making the tournament in 2016 and 2017 under head coach Andy Enfield. USC also continues to be a threat in the Pac-12 year in and year out, even if the Big Dance performances haven't led to great success.
Perhaps more impressive than what the program has accomplished in the NCAA Tournament is what Trojan players have done in the NBA. Perhaps the best of them was Paul Westphal, who played 12 seasons in the NBA, averaging 15.6 points per game for his career.
Other luminaries like Cliff Robinson, Taj Gibson, Robert Pack, OJ Mayo, and the ever-wild Nick Young made their mark first at USC. The current standard-bearer for the program is Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan, who has turned his mid-range game into a real weapon in the NBA.