RALEIGH, N.C. — Two years ago, USC coach Andy Enfield asked his players to anonymously write on a piece of paper their preseason goals for the Trojans.
“I wrote to win the national championship,” point guard Julian Jacobs said. “I was a naive freshman. My family taught me to think big. I didn’t know how tough it would be.”
There was mostly losing during Jacobs’ first two seasons, but Thursday night might be USC’s version of winning a national championship when it gets to play Providence in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at PNG Arena.