The Trojan basketball team heads to Columbus as a No. 10 seed, taking on No. 7 Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament

In this edition of the Peristyle Podcast host Ryan Abraham and special guest Shotgun Spratling are together again recapping their weekend in Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Tournament. The guys were there checking out the Trojan basketball team that was trying to make a run and win a conference title. That wasn’t meant to be as Arizona State knocked off USC in the quarterfinals, sending the Trojans home early.

The guys talk about what went wrong in Vegas with Andy Enfield’s squad that wasn’t entirely healthy heading into the tournament and why the extra rest might be just what the doctor ordered heading into the NCAAs. Heck, USC also did the Pac-12 a solid allowing the Sun Devils to get a big win and sneak their way into the field. 

Depending on the results in Vegas, the Trojans could have been seeded anywhere from 7 to 11, so coming in at No. 10 is about right. The Trojans do get a tough matchup with Michigan State and will be playing the early game on Friday in Columbus (plus it is St. Patrick’s Day, so there will likely be even more green in the stands than normal). It’s a tough draw but coming in as the underdogs can likely serve USC well and give the Trojans a chance to play well and move on to a likely match-up with No. 2 seeded Marquette. 

Ryan and Shotgun also talk about what they saw from day one of USC spring football last week, the first opportunity the media has been able to check out the new look Trojans. Shotgun started off talking about five-star freshman receiver Zachariah Branch who everyone has been raving about. His potential is off the charts with terrific speed and strength and most everyone is calling him a “without a doubt” type of prospect. 

They also discuss how the offensive line looks with a few newcomers on the roster and some guys playing different positions as the coaches try to build depth by cross training everyone. 

True freshman quarterback Malachi Nelson is coming off a non-throwing shoulder injury but he looked good and actually took part in team drills from what Shotgun was told. Freshman defensive back Christian Pierce also looked good with great size, length and a ton of athletic upside.

As this was the third practice of the spring with players wearing shoulder pads, there was actual tackling going on. We got to see pursuit drills from the defensive backs as they took angles and brought the ball carrier to the ground, exactly the kind of plays USC’s secondary was missing on last year. Shotgun was also told that there was more tackling throughout the practice after the media was asked to leave.

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