USC (19-14)

COACH: Kevin O'Neill, two years at USC, first year in NCAA tournament.

HOW THEY GOT IN: At-large bid.

GO-TO GUYS: Junior F Nikola Vucevic, a native of Bar, Montenegro, is one of the nation's least-known stars. He compiled 20 double-doubles during the regular season, including 10 in a row headed into the Pac-10 tournament, which ranked fifth in the nation. He has only average athleticism, but is strong, skilled, a decent shot-blocker and capable of scoring inside or from the perimeter. Sophomore PG Jio Fontan, a midseason arrival after transferring last year from Fordham, has gradually played a bigger role in the USC attack. He was moved from shooting guard with a few weeks left in the regular season and helped settle the Trojans while allowing freshman Maurice Jones to play with less pressure off the ball.

X FACTOR: The Trojans have less depth than likely any team they could face in the NCAA Tournament. Only six players averaged more than 11 minutes per game through the regular season, and four of them see more than 31 minutes per outing. Coach Kevin O'Neill, who has extensive background as an NBA assistant, remedied the situation by reducing his team's practice time to barely more than 90 minutes per week late in the year. He eliminated Friday practice between Thursday and Saturday games altogether, figuring his players would benefit more from rest than preparation. That won't be possible if the Trojans win a first-round NCAA game and need to familiarize themselves with a new opponent.

STRENGTHS: The Trojans are quick, physical and play hard-nosed defense. They held nine Pac-10 opponents to 61 points or fewer, limiting explosive Washington to 60 in Seattle, where the Huskies topped 100 points on six occasions. They are battle-tested, with wins over Arizona, UCLA, Washington, Texas and Tennessee and a two-point road loss to Kansas. With junior Nikola Vucevic and senior Alex Stepheson, the Trojans have two 6-foot-10 frontcourt players, creating difficult matchups at both ends of the floor for most opponents. Their guards are small but quick, and although they don't shoot a high percentage from the 3-point line, can get hot and score in bunches. Senior wing Marcus Simmons, at 6-6, is versatile enough he can defend anyone from a shooting guard to a power forward and was voted Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year.

WEAKNESSES: The Trojans have no depth so they are susceptible to fatigue or foul trouble. Despipte their size up front, they are only an average rebounding team. And they are suspect at the foul line, converting just 65 percent through the regular season. They also are prone to losing all rhythm offensively. Simmons is not a scoring threat and Stepheson is an erratic offensive player. The Trojans posted just one Pac-10 regular-season victory where they scored as many as 70 points.