USC Men Secure No. 10 Seed For 2018 NCAA Championships

The Trojans have their 40th ticket to NCAA action in-hand as USC takes aim at a 12th consecutive journey into the NCAA Tournament. Seeded No. 10 in this year's bracket, USC recently worked its way back to the title match of the Pac-12 Tournament, upended No. 4 Stanford along the way. Now, the Trojans upgrade their 2018 goals as they look to work their way to the program's 22nd national championship. USC has won five titles in the last nine year and already hold the national record with their 21 team trophies. This year, USC will serve as a host for the NCAA First and Second Rounds at Marks Stadium on May 12 and 13. From there, Wake Forest takes over as host of the NCAA Round of 16 and beyond from May 18-22 before the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships May 23-28 — all in Winston-Salem, N.C.

For the 16th season, USC has head coach Peter Smith at the helm as the Trojans carry a 17-8 overall record into the 2018 NCAA Tournament. Last year, USC was the No. 4 seed and reached the NCAA Round of 16. The Trojans last won it all back in 2014 and have since reached the Round of 16 twice and the Quarterfinals once.

USC boasts two top-10 doubles duos, with juniors Jack Jaede and Laurens Verboven gripping a career-best No. 7 national ranking and sophomores Brandon Holt and Riley Smith sitting at No. 9 in the land. On the singles scene, it's sophomore Brandon Holt leading the pack once again, as the ITA All-American stands out at No. 11 in the nation in singles. Newcomer Daniel Cukierman is next at No. 82 in his debut season with the Trojans, with junior Logan Smith at No. 118 in the latest round of individual rankings.

Next week, USC lines up to host the NCAA First and Second Rounds for the 12th straight season, with three teams coming to Troy to play for that ticket to Wake Forest. On May 12, Oklahoma State and Harvard will square off first at 12 p.m. followed by a 3 p.m. matchup between host USC and UC Santa Barbara. On May 13, Saturday's winners will face off at 1 p.m. to determine which team advances to the NCAA Round of 16 in Winston-Salem, N.C.

NCAA First & Second Rounds (Marks Stadium | Los Angeles, Calif.)

Saturday (May 12) - First Round
12 p.m. PT — Oklahoma State (20-8) vs. Harvard (20-6)
3 p.m. PT — USC (17-8) vs. UC Santa Barbara (18-6)

Sunday (May 13) - Second Round
1 p.m. PT — Saturday winners

Players Mentioned

Daniel Cukierman

Brandon Holt

Jack Jaede

Logan Smith

Riley Smith

Laurens Verboven