USC men’s basketball has its 2026-27 non-conference slate locked in, and it gives Eric Musselman’s group a little bit of everything: marquee tests, regional trips and a handful of chances to settle in before Big Ten play.
The Trojans’ early schedule is built around 12 regular-season non-conference games and three preseason exhibitions in October, part of a revamped roster that brings back several key contributors from last season’s campaign. USC will get started with a high-profile exhibition against North Carolina in Greensboro on Oct. 9, then stay on the road for matchups with UC San Diego on Oct. 17 and San Diego State on Oct. 23.
The regular season opens Nov. 2 at Galen Center against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. From there, USC’s non-conference path includes games against fellow Power Four opponents UC Berkeley, South Carolina and Texas Tech.
One of the more notable stops comes Nov. 8, when the Trojans face Wichita State in the first-ever Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic in Stateline, Nevada. Four days later, USC heads to Cal on Nov. 11 in the teams’ second meeting since leaving the Pac-12.
Around Thanksgiving, USC will not have to travel nearly as far for its late-November tournament after last year’s Southwest Maui Invitational title. This time, South Carolina and Utah State are the opponents waiting for the Trojans at the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert.
December brings another familiar name, with USC playing San Diego for the second straight season. Then comes a final road test before conference play: a trip to Fort Worth for the USLBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge against Texas Tech, a game that should serve as a strong measuring stick after the Red Raiders finished fourth in the Big 12 last season.
USC closes out non-conference play with home games against Jacksonville and Western Michigan before the Big Ten season begins in early January.
The Trojans already know their Big Ten opponents for 2027, but the conference dates have not been announced yet and are not expected until mid-September. For now, attention turns to the preseason opener against North Carolina, the first major checkpoint in a season that already has plenty of attention around it.
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Kirk Herbstreit Just Called Out USC Fans Over A Growing Problem
USCs home opener offered the kind of stage the program usually wants to own: a ranked team, a chance to build early momentum and a fan base that has spent years talking about getting back into the title mix. But the turnout told a different story, with only about 51,000 in the stands for a game that should have carried plenty of appeal. That contrast did not go unnoticed, and ESPNs Kirk Herbstreit used his platform to point directly at the empty seats and the larger frustration they represent.
For a program trying to contend for the conference crown, optics matter almost as much as the result on the field. The sparse crowd also revived criticism of how the schools administration has handled the issue, adding another layer to a conversation USC would rather not be having this early in the season. What makes it sting is that the Trojans are still positioned as a national presence, but until the building feels that way, the gap between reputation and reality will keep getting wider. [Read more 🡒]
USC May Have Found The Defensive Tone-Setter It Needed
Jide Abasiri opened USCs 2026 season looking every bit like the kind of defender the Trojans have been searching for. Named a captain before the opener against San Jose State, he made his presence felt early and often, finishing with four tackles and two tackles for loss while helping set the tone for a unit that needed an edge.
Abasiris day included one stop that stood out in particular, as he helped shut down a scoring chance on fourth down. For USC, that kind of impact matters beyond the box score because it suggests the defense may have found a player willing to bring the urgency and physicality the Trojans want at the front of the unit. [Read more 🡒]
Jayden Maiava Faces His First Real USC Test In Week 1
Jayden Maiava opened his USC tenure with a tidy first step in Week 0, looking comfortable in the Trojans offense while completing 25 of 29 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns against San Jose State. The numbers were encouraging, but the matchup with Fresno State brings a different kind of early-season check, one that will ask more of USCs quarterback in a game expected to carry plenty of points and pace.
Fresno State is turning to Jayden Mandal at quarterback for Week 1, giving the Trojans a chance to go against a passer with limited college experience and an injury history that has shaped his path so far. USC still enters as the favorite, but this is the sort of game that can tell a lot about how real the early optimism around Maiava is once the competition starts to tighten and the scoring chances keep coming. [Read more 🡒]