How many times has USC made the NCAA Tournament?

The USC Trojans have been in the spotlight all season, and one major contributing factor to that is the presence of LeBron James' son, Bronny James, at the university. While USC is renowned for its football program, passionate fan base and NBA alumni (Paul Westphal, DeMar DeRozan, O.J. Mayo, Gus Williams, Bill Sharman, Tex Winter, Nikola Vucevic), the attention is now shifting toward its basketball program, thanks to the drawing power of the James family.

The Trojans (12-17) are 11th in the Pac-122 and likely will not make the NCAA Tournament. This has affected Bronny James' draft stock aside from his play.

LeBron James responded to speculations about Bronny's future after he was left out of ESPN's latest 2024 NBA mock draft, falling to pick No. 39 in draft expert Jonathan Givony's 2025 mock draft. Givony had Bronny at No. 10 in a 2024 mock draft a year ago.

"Can yall please just let the kid be a kid and enjoy college basketball," James posted in a now-deleted tweet. "The work and results will ultimately do the talking no matter what he decides to do. If y’all don’t know he doesn’t care what a mock draft says, he just WORKS! Earned Not Given!"

Participation and success of a college basketball team in the NCAA Tournament is one of the barometers of its prestige. True blue bloods like Duke, North Carolina, UCLA, Kentucky and Kansas have made names for themselves by winning in the Big Dance. The Trojans, however, have had ups and downs in the annual tournament.

Let's take a deep dive into the USC Trojans' history in March Madness.

History of USC's NCAA Tournament appearances

In the Trojans' 118 seasons of men's college basketball (1906 to 2024) they have accumulated a 1,726-1,266 record (57.7% winning percentage). Not a bad feat for a university most known for its football team.

The program has developed 25 All-Americans and has won seven conference regular season championships and one conference tournament title.

However, the NCAA Tournament is a different story for USC. The squad has been to the 21 times in the event's 85-year history. Based on their record, they have a 24.7% participation rate in the tournament.

Has USC ever won the NCAA championship?

The Trojans have made the most of their 21 trips to March Madness. Although the team has not won a national title on college basketball's biggest stage, they have been to two Final Fours, four Elite Eights and five Sweet 16s.

In 118 years, the program has never played in a national championship game.