University Southern California Trojans
USC in NIT
June 21, 1999 | Men's Basketball
March 7, 1999
Los Angeles - The USC men's basketball team (15-12), under the direction of third-year head coach Henry Bibby, will make its sixth postseason appearance of the 1990s when it plays in an NIT first-round game at Wyoming in Laramie, Wyo., on Wednesday (March 10). The time is tentatively set for 7:30 p.m. MST.
The Trojans, led by Pac-10 Newcomer of the Year Brian Scalabrine, finished strong in the Pac-10, winning five of their last nine games, including four of the final six. USC finished 7-11 in the Pac-10, tied for seventh.
"This is our championship and we're looking forward to playing," said USC Coach Henry Bibby, who is directing the Trojans to their second postseason berth in his three seasons at Troy. "We think we could do some damage in the tournament. We're playing for today. This is good for the program. This is for teams like us, that struggled a little bit but finished strong. I'm excited about it. You always want to go to a tournament."
USC is 6-3 overall against Wyoming and last faced the Cowboys in an 89-79 loss at Wyoming in 1986. The Trojans have faced the Cowboys once in the postseason, losing in the first round of the 1982 NCAA Tournament, 61-58, in Logan, Utah. USC has played at Wyoming three times, losing in 1986 but winning in 1983 (56-55) and 1962 (76-54).
Wyoming finished 17-9 overall and 7-7 (tied for fourth) in the Mountain Division of the Western Athletic Conference. They did not, however, qualify for the WAC Tournament.
USC's appearance in the NIT this season will be its third of the decade and fourth overall. The Trojans last played in the NIT in 1994, losing at Fresno State in the first round. USC won its first two games in the 1993 NIT, beating UNLV and Pepperdine before losing at Minnesota. The Trojans' only other appearance in the NIT came in a loss to Notre Dame in 1973.
The Trojans' three NCAA Tournament appearances this decade were in 1991, 1992 and 1997.
