USC won their First Four matchup against Providence, and will take on the SMU Mustangs, who are dancing for the second time since 1993.
On Wednesday, the Providence Friars and USC Trojans battled it out for a spot in the Round of 64. These two teams met in last year’s tournament, with the Friars winning at the last second due to a Rodney Bullock layup with 1.8 second left in the game. Bullock followed up his big shot with an incredible season in 2016-17, leading the Friars in scoring a 15.7 points per game clip.
The Trojans were able to avenge that loss against the Friars, blowing Providence away with a stellar second half. Junior Jordan McLaughlin had a huge game, racking up ten rebounds to go along with his 18 points. Bennie Boatright led all scorers with 24 points for the USC Trojans, who will now take on SMU in the Round of 64.
While the Trojans’ win was impressive on Wednesday night, SMU may be too much for them on Friday. The Mustangs come into the game after winning the AAC Championship over Cincinnati, and are armed with AAC Player of the Year, Semi Ojeleye. Ojeleye averaged 19 points per game for SMU this past season, racking up nearly seven rebounds per game in the process. Also look for Shake Milton to get it done from the outside, as he is one of the premier three-point shooters in the country.
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After winning 30 games this season, the Mustangs should make it to at least the Round of 32. They should get Baylor in the next round, which should spell the end of their run. Still, this is a team that should be very proud with their accomplishments this past season, as they try to establish the program as one who can be a perennial attendee of the Big Dance.
Here is how to watch all of the action online.
Date: Friday, March 17
Time: 3:10 p.m. ET
Location: Tulsa, Oklahoma
Venue: Bank of Oklahoma Center
TV Info: TruTV
Live Stream: March Madness Live
This is a very deep SMU team, and they should be able to make it past the first round this year. While Larry Brown is no longer the coach, he did bring in most of these players, and they play the game the way he would have liked them to. Look for Ojeleye to have a big game in this one, as he could go for 25-30 points to help the Mustangs advance.