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#10- 2001, Henry Bibby, 24-10
SC was ranked 23rd to start the season, and got as high as 12th after starting the year 8-0 and then 12-2. Didn't really beat anyone in conference, but finished 4th in a strong year for the conference, and got a 6 seed in the East Regional. They handled Oklahoma St easily, then beat 3 seed Boston College by 3 to make it to the first Sweet 16 since 1961. There they played probably the finest half of basketball ever for an SC team, and led #2 seed Kentucky 43-24 at half. It was hang on from there, but SC won and faced eventual champion Duke in the Regional Final. SC was down five at half, but couldn't pull of the upset.
#9, 2007, Tim Floyd, 25-12
A monumental year for SC off the court, but they were pretty good on the court too. In Floyd's second year at SC the team overcame the tragic off season death of Ryan Francis, and got off to an 11-3 start. The team was led by Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt and Taj Gibson. SC made its second Conference Tournament Finals, and was seeded 5th in the East Regional. After a 17 point win over Arkansas, Floyd deployed a triangle-and-2 to frustrated Kevin Durant in what would be his last college game as SC beat 4 seed Texas by 19. In the Sweet 16 vs #1 North Carolina SC was up 9 at half, but only scored 22 in the second as the officials took over the game, and gifted NC a win. Besides being an exciting team with a deep NCAA run, the reason this team is #8 is because it was SC's first season at the Galen Center, bringing an end to 81 years of the basketball team being homeless
#8 -1961, Forrest Twogood, 21-8
The last outright Conference Championship. SC beat the Bruins 2 out of 3 that year, all played at the Sports Arena. After this experience Wooden began the push for an on campus arena as it was proven the Sports Arena was "SC's arena". This team was led by one of SC's greatest players, John Rudometkin, who in his second year at SC averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds per game, which still rank 3rd and 5th respectively in school history. Chick Hearn, who called SC basketball at the time, called him "The Reckless Russian". SC beat Oregon in the first round, then lost to ASU by 15 in the second round. SC finished 7th in the AP poll, its second highest finish ever.
#7 - 1928, Leo Calland, 22-4,
A remarkable season for USC's first ever basketball HC hire. SC had not won a Pacific Coast Conference game their first two years in the league, but won their first ever conference championship in 1928. The overall win % of .846 still ranks third all-time at USC.
#6-1954, Forrest Twogood, 19-14
Team on the list with the most losses, but also SC's second, and last, Final Four team, and fifth Conference Championship team. Led by Center Roy Irvin, the schools second ever 1,000 point scorer, SC was 8 and 9 when they went on a four game winning streak to close the season, including the last two games of the season on consecutive nights at #19 UCLA's Men's Gym. Those two wins gave USC the Southern Conference by one game over UCLA, and SC then won the best of three playoff against Oregon State, splitting the two games in Corvallis, to win the PCC and sending USC to its second NCAA tournament, making it two tournaments, two Final Fours. SC played in the West Region, ironically in Corvallis, and won its first game handily over Idaho State, then won a two overtime thriller over Santa Clara by one point, 66-65. On to the Final Four, which was again at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, the same location of SC's first Final Four in 1940. The result was near the same as well, with SC losing to Bradley by two points. SC would finish the season ranked 11 in the AP poll. Their 4th highest finish ever.
SC was ranked 23rd to start the season, and got as high as 12th after starting the year 8-0 and then 12-2. Didn't really beat anyone in conference, but finished 4th in a strong year for the conference, and got a 6 seed in the East Regional. They handled Oklahoma St easily, then beat 3 seed Boston College by 3 to make it to the first Sweet 16 since 1961. There they played probably the finest half of basketball ever for an SC team, and led #2 seed Kentucky 43-24 at half. It was hang on from there, but SC won and faced eventual champion Duke in the Regional Final. SC was down five at half, but couldn't pull of the upset.
#9, 2007, Tim Floyd, 25-12
A monumental year for SC off the court, but they were pretty good on the court too. In Floyd's second year at SC the team overcame the tragic off season death of Ryan Francis, and got off to an 11-3 start. The team was led by Nick Young, Gabe Pruitt and Taj Gibson. SC made its second Conference Tournament Finals, and was seeded 5th in the East Regional. After a 17 point win over Arkansas, Floyd deployed a triangle-and-2 to frustrated Kevin Durant in what would be his last college game as SC beat 4 seed Texas by 19. In the Sweet 16 vs #1 North Carolina SC was up 9 at half, but only scored 22 in the second as the officials took over the game, and gifted NC a win. Besides being an exciting team with a deep NCAA run, the reason this team is #8 is because it was SC's first season at the Galen Center, bringing an end to 81 years of the basketball team being homeless
#8 -1961, Forrest Twogood, 21-8
The last outright Conference Championship. SC beat the Bruins 2 out of 3 that year, all played at the Sports Arena. After this experience Wooden began the push for an on campus arena as it was proven the Sports Arena was "SC's arena". This team was led by one of SC's greatest players, John Rudometkin, who in his second year at SC averaged 24 points and 12 rebounds per game, which still rank 3rd and 5th respectively in school history. Chick Hearn, who called SC basketball at the time, called him "The Reckless Russian". SC beat Oregon in the first round, then lost to ASU by 15 in the second round. SC finished 7th in the AP poll, its second highest finish ever.
#7 - 1928, Leo Calland, 22-4,
A remarkable season for USC's first ever basketball HC hire. SC had not won a Pacific Coast Conference game their first two years in the league, but won their first ever conference championship in 1928. The overall win % of .846 still ranks third all-time at USC.
#6-1954, Forrest Twogood, 19-14
Team on the list with the most losses, but also SC's second, and last, Final Four team, and fifth Conference Championship team. Led by Center Roy Irvin, the schools second ever 1,000 point scorer, SC was 8 and 9 when they went on a four game winning streak to close the season, including the last two games of the season on consecutive nights at #19 UCLA's Men's Gym. Those two wins gave USC the Southern Conference by one game over UCLA, and SC then won the best of three playoff against Oregon State, splitting the two games in Corvallis, to win the PCC and sending USC to its second NCAA tournament, making it two tournaments, two Final Fours. SC played in the West Region, ironically in Corvallis, and won its first game handily over Idaho State, then won a two overtime thriller over Santa Clara by one point, 66-65. On to the Final Four, which was again at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, the same location of SC's first Final Four in 1940. The result was near the same as well, with SC losing to Bradley by two points. SC would finish the season ranked 11 in the AP poll. Their 4th highest finish ever.
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