The less-outrageous of the two upper-seed play-in games, the Wednesday night contest between the USC Trojans and VCU Rams will give one the right to play the Georgetown Hoyas in the first ("second"!) round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament. VCU slipped in despite failing to win the CAA and could become the conference's third team in the field of 64, while USC managed wins over Arizona and Texas after a hideous November.
Star Watch: Six-foot-ten, 260-pound forward Nikola Vucevic averages a double-double, finishing tops in the Pac-10 in rebounds with 10.2 per game. VCU duo Jamie Skeen, a six-foot-nine forward, and Bradford Burgess, a six-foot-six guard, combine to average 29.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per outing.
Prediction: Do I really have to pick between teams that lost to Bradley and Georgia State? Despite Vucevic's glasswork the Trojans haven't been able to exert a rebounding advantage against every many teams, but they have one in this game. USC wins.
More Reading: USC fans, you're taken care of at Conquest Chronicles and SB Nation Los Angeles. VCU fans should join Mid Major Madness for CAA chatter.
Need help picking your bracket? Check out SB Nation's full 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket predictions, picking every game of March Madness, or our region by region breakdowns for the East Region, West Region, Southeast Region, and Southwest Region.
Did your team miss the 2011 NCAA Tournament? We have you covered: check out the 2011 NIT bracket.