Earlier today, the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 coaches’ poll was released, ranking the Kansas Jayhawks, who were also atop the the Associated Press preseason poll, number one in the country. Michigan State, the 2009 NCAA tournament runner-ups, were pegged at number two, followed closely by Texas, North Carolina, and even Kentucky. The Wildcats, who failed to finish last season ranked in the top 25, are expected to be much improved with new head coach John Calipari at the helm. His arrival, along with that of top recruit John Wall, coincides with their number five ranking.

However, from the Southern California sports fan’s perspective, the poll’s release provides reason to be optimistic about the 2009-2010 USC men’s basketball team.

For one, this year’s preseason top 25 rankings clearly indicate that the Pac-10 is not overflowing with top-notch title contenders, as only two of the conference’s ten teams were ranked in the poll – California at 12 and Washington at 13. UCLA, which has reigned as the Pac-10’s de facto top team under Ben Howland, found itself outside the initial rankings with just 59 total points.

These early signs suggests that the conference’s four-to-five available NCAA tournament spots are up for the taking with no clear cut favorites outside of Cal and Washington. That means that teams, like USC, have any excellent chance of surpassing expectations and nabbing on of the available spots. Judging by early prognostications, it’s certainly a somewhat likely scenario that the Trojans finish in the top half of the conference as evident by the fact that they finished with the fourth highest point total in the rankings with 22.

There is no need to get too carried away and parade around Los Angeles declaring that the Trojans are off to their fourth straight big dance, but this is yet another legitimate reason for fans to sit back, and feel that Kevin O’Neill’s bunch could make some noise in the Pac-10 this year.

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