Andy Katz details why USC, UCLA are 'home run' additions in basketball for Big Ten

Much has been made about what USC and UCLA bring to the Big Ten from a football standpoint. But college basketball insider Andy Katz discussed what they bring from a basketball perspective — and it’s a big boost.

Katz noted an interesting stat. Dating back to 2012, at least one of them has been in the NCAA Tournament every year except 2019. That makes the additions even more impressive for a conference that had nine bids to the big dance this past season.

That means the competition for Big Ten bids is going to get tougher, which isn’t a bad thing for the league.

“This is an absolute home run for both schools and the Big Ten, especially in men’s college basketball,” Katz said. “You’re now adding two programs that in the last nine NCAA Tournaments have only combined to miss it one time. So yes, in the last nine NCAA Tournaments, either both UCLA and USC were in it or just one. Only one time did that not happen in the last nine NCAA Tournaments.”

Andy Katz reveals how USC, UCLA moving to Big Ten affects NCAA March Madness selection

UCLA is one of the sport’s all-time great programs while USC has had some recent success in the last two decades. Meanwhile, the Big Ten is a basketball conference full of traditions and big time programs.

NCAA host and FOX Sports’ Andy Katz says this move is a big one for the Big Ten. Additionally, he believes this will lead to an extensive majority of the conference being in the NCAA Tournament.

“You’ve got history, tradition, and a concentration of bids. Sixteen schools adding two traditional powers. What does that mean?” Katz said. “That means you could be looking at years where three fourths of the Big Ten could be in the NCAA Tournament.”