USC Basketball enters its third season under coach Musselman—this season, with a strong returning core.
USC basketball’s season ended with a second-round exit in the Big Ten Tournament. This came from an 83-79 overtime battle against Washington, where the Huskies ultimately outplayed the Trojans. The beginning of last season was looking good for USC; they started at a comfortable 18-6. Things started to go downhill when injuries and overall lack of consistency plagued the team. The nail in the coffin for USC’s 2025-26 season was their eight-game losing streak to finish the season. This marked the second season in a row in which the Trojans fell short of an NCAA Tournament bid.
Last season, starting guard Rodney Rice appeared in only six games before a right shoulder injury sustained during the Maui Invitational sidelined him for the remainder of the season. Freshman Alijah Arenas, a standout on this USC team, played only 14 games because of a mix of an April car crash and a July knee injury, which sidelined him until late January.
The season outlook for USC basketball’s upcoming season looks more promising this year. This is largely thanks, first, to the return of Rice and Arenas. Musselman’s top-20 transfer portal class is headlined by Georgetown’s KJ Lewis and Eric Reibe from UConn. Another thing to note about this team is its talented youth compared to past seasons. Christian Collins and the Ratliff twins, Adonis and Darius, are top-ranked recruits in this class.
The Trojans’ roster looks to improve on their 18-14 mark and is already being viewed as a better team. According to the Big Ten Preseason Media Poll, USC was ranked 7th among the 18 Power Conference teams. They sit right behind the 2026 Big Ten Tournament Champions, Purdue, and right in front of Ohio State. This is two better than their 2025-26 Big Ten preseason ranking, where they started at 9th place.
Head coach: Eric Musselman (12th season overall, 3rd at USC)
2025-26 record: 18-14 (7-13)
2026 postseason finish: No postseason
Notable departures:
- Chad Baker-Mazara (18.5 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.8 APG, 38.1% 3PT)
- Ezra Ausar (14.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 58.3% FG)
- Kam Woods (8.8 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 4.1 APG)
- Jordan Marsh (7.2 PPG, 35.7% 3PT)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Wichita State (Nov. 8)
- at California (Nov. 11)
- vs. South Carolina (Nov. 25) – Acrisure Series
- vs. Utah State (Nov. 26) – Acrisure Series
- vs. Texas Tech (Dec. 13) – Fort Worth, TX
Projected Rotation
PG: Rodney Rice (6-5, 199, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 20.2 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 6.0 APG, 38.0 3P%
SG: Alijah Arenas (6-7, 199, So.)
2025-26 stats: 14.1 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 2.1 APG, 34.1 FG%
SF: KJ Lewis (6-4, 210, Sr.)
2025-26: 14.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 2.5 APG (Georgetown)
PF: Jacob Cofie (6-10, 231, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 9.9 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 1.8 BPG, 51.0 FG%
C: Eric Reibe (7-1, 260, So.)
2025-26 stats: 5.9 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 0.5 APG, 65.8 FG% (UConn)
6: Christian Collins (6-9, 200, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 8 ranked recruit
7: Jalen Cox (6-3,180, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 17.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.3 APG, 1.7 SPG, 52.1 FG%, 36.5 3P% (Colgate)
8: Issac Bruns (6-5, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 20.8 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.3 APG, 39.2 3P% (South Dakota)
9: Darius Ratliff (7-0, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 32 ranked recruit
10: Jadis Jones (6-5, 180, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 15.3 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 2.6 APG, 57.4 FG% (Lindenwood)
USC basketball team MVP: Rodney Rice
It’s hard not to choose Rice as USC basketball’s MVP for this season. For one, his offensive presence is notable. Across his six starts before his shoulder injury last season, he was averaging just over 20 points per game. He also shot at a notable 41% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. The Trojans won in each of Rice’s six starts, giving them a perfect 6-0 start to the season. His return this season gives this backcourt an edge that they might not have had if he left. Rice made the Preseason All-Big Ten Team, marking Musselman’s first player to receive such recognition.
Rice is a player who can create offense for himself and his teammates, which is why he has MVP potential this season. At the same time, his playmaking can create more scoring opportunities for Arenas. And Rice is already off to a great start; he put up 22 points and five assists in the Trojans’ exhibition game against UNC. Those who suggest that his shoulder injury last season would hinder his abilities for this season have already gotten a taste of what he’s capable of.
USC basketball make-or-break player: Jacob Cofie
With USC’s new faces in the frontcourt, Cofie can first start by contributing with an established presence. He has experience on this team, as he started all 32 games last season; however, this season his leadership abilities will be tested. With Reibe coming in as the starting center, Cofie will need to prove he can help with his teammates’ development.
To put this team above the other impressive competition in the Big Ten, Cofie could be a key part of the offense if he is more consistent from deep. Last season, he shot 31.8% from beyond the arc. If he could improve this, Rice and Arenas would have lots more space to create a more dynamic offense.
Key statistic: Three-point shooting
Speaking of three-point shooting, USC shot just 31.4% from beyond the arc last season. This put them second-to-last in the Big Ten for percentage from beyond the arc, right above Penn State. Losing Chad Baker-Mazara, the team’s leader from three-point range, makes this year’s offensive presence a question mark. Compared to its opponents, USC made 6.2 threes per game vs. opponents’ 8.0. Buckets from deep could be the difference between “good” and “great” for this team.
USC basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 4th in the Big Ten
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Elite 8 exit