USC men's basketball review and this week's Examiner Top 25

Every week Sports Examiners across the nation throw their hat into the ring of Top 25 college basketball projections.

The Trojans have yet to crack my Top 25 this season for obvious reasons. The slow start to the season can be attributed to Kevin O'Neill and his crew slowly getting comfortable with one another, as well as suspensions and injuries that have hampered growth in terms of the team as a whole.

The USC men's basketball team has shown flashes of potential and they have also shown us why it may be a long season for Southern California.

Against Coppin State last Saturday, the Trojans rolled to a 31 point victory, winning 74-43. Nikolas Vucevic continued his strong start to the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while forward Alex Stepheson made his debut for the Trojans, scoring 13 points and grabbing 9 boards in 21 minutes.

The return of Stepheson from injury is a huge boon for the Trojans, who have struggled with depth early on.

Playing against Nebraska the next day, USC lost a close one to the Huskers. Four Trojans scored in double figures but the team combined for 17 turnovers in the 51-48 loss to Nebraska.

For the second straight game, forward Alex Stepheson came off the bench to give the Trojans a huge boost with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. It should only be a matter of time before Stepheson moves into the starting lineup for USC.

Up next for USC is a huge road match up against the (2) Texas Longhorns.

While the Trojans did not make it into my Top 25 this week, two Pac-10 teams, Washington and Washington State, did. The Huskies have started the season 5-0, while Pac-10 Player of the Week, Klay Thompson, and the Cougars ran the table at the Great American Shootout enroute to a stellar 6-0 start to the season.

Now, on to the Examiner.com men's college basketball rankings. You can find Examiner's Top 25 HERE.

Here is how I voted this week (with a Dunkfest slideshow at the bottom of the page):

1. Kansas
2. Kentucky
3. Villanova
4. Texas
5. Syracuse
6. Purdue
7. Duke
8. West Virginia
9. Washington
10. Michigan State
11. North Carolina
12. Tennessee
13. Ohio State
14. Connecticut
15. Florida
16. Georgetown
17. UNLV
18. Clemson
19. Butler
20. Louisville
21. Cincinnati
22. Portland
23. Florida State
24. Texas A&M
25. Washington State

Rankings subject to interpretation