By Justin HAGER

While the addition of the Los Angeles Rams Super Bowl victory added another gem in Los Angeles’ “City of Champions” crown, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament selection committee seems to believe Los Angeles is more likely the “City of Snubs.”

The University of Southern California (USC) Trojans won a school record 25 regular season games but only beat one ranked opponent all season. Their reward is a seventh seed in their region, 25th overall, and a trip to Greenville, South Carolina for a first round showdown with No. 10 Miami (Florida). If they win, they’ll likely square off against the No. 5 seed overall, and top-rated No. 2 regional team, Auburn in the second round – making an appearance in the second weekend highly improbable.

Perhaps more egregious was the snub of UCLA, whose historic tear through last year’s tournament field landed them in the Final Four. They looked prime for another deep run this year until they completely fell apart against Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament final on Saturday. Their first-round matchup, the 127th ranked Akron Zips, should pose little threat.

Assuming the Bruins secure a victory, the second and third rounds will be challenging, to say the least, as UCLA appears to be on a collision course with St. Mary’s – better known as the only team to beat No. 1 Gonzaga by double digits. If the Bruins manage to get through that test, then all they’d have to do is board a flight to Philadelphia to take on the defending national champion, and Baylor Bears.

Regardless of how the Southern California teams perform, one thing is certain: March Madness is back! Let the games begin.