No. 8 USC vs. No. 9 Providence
THURSDAY AT PNC ARENA, RALEIGH, N.C.
How they got here: USC lost six of eight games in a stretch late in the season but used a 95-71 victory over UCLA in the first round of the Pac-12 Conference tournament as a strong closing statement. Providence endured its own midseason swoon, when it also lost six of eight games, but won four games in a row before losing to Villanova in the Big East Conference tournament.