USC men’s basketball is walking into the season with real noise around it.
The Trojans were 12th in the Big Ten a year ago, but they open this season at No. 21 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll. That’s a sharp turn, and it comes with a roster that has a little of everything: proven returners, elite freshmen and enough size to make opponents feel crowded before the game even tips.
Head coach Eric Musselman pointed first to the players already in the program.
“It starts with our three returners,” USC head coach Eric Musselman said. “I think that between Rodney and Alijah and Jacob, they’ve really set the tone and the foundation.”
Those three are 6-foot-5 guard Rodney Rice, 6-foot-7 guard Alijah Arenas and 6-foot-10 forward Jacob Cofie. Around them, USC has added three freshmen who arrived with major reputations: Christian Collins and twins Adonis and Darius Ratliff, all McDonald’s All-Americans.
The biggest individual swing factor may be Arenas. His freshman year never really got rolling after a torn meniscus delayed his debut for about the first half of the season, and the numbers reflected the stop-and-start nature of his year. He shot 34.1% from the field and 21.3% from 3-point range, a rough line for a player carrying five-star expectations.
Arenas also had more than one obstacle to fight through. In April 2025, he was in a serious single-car crash that left him hospitalized for six days because of smoke inhalation.
This offseason, the focus has been on getting him back to himself.
“Rodney and Coach are actually the ones that kind of brought me back to myself,” Arenas said. “Getting me back in the gym, keeping me here, showing me there’s still hope. I’m still alive.”
The roster math is going to be a challenge for Musselman, and that’s before the games start counting. USC has depth, and it has already shown a willingness to mix and match. Musselman has used two different starting lineups in three exhibition games, and the Rice-Arenas-Cofie-Ratliff combination has appeared in two of them.
Rice, Arenas and Cofie look like the safest bets to stay in the starting group once the season settles in, but there are still minutes to sort out. That’s especially true with two players currently sidelined: 7-foot-1 center Eric Reibe and Collins, the 6-foot-9 freshman from St.
John Bosco. Reibe is coming back from foot surgery and is expected to return in January, while Collins’ return date is still unknown because of a foot injury.
The Ratliff twins have already made a case for themselves. Musselman landed Adonis and Darius, the sons of former NBA All-Star Theo Ratliff, and both have cracked the starting lineup in exhibition play.
Adonis has totaled eight points and six rebounds in two starts. Darius has put up 27 points and 16 rebounds in three starts.
“They bring energy, they bring size, they bring athleticism,” Arenas said. “They’re very unique. Like, I’ve never played with guys that are two seven-footers that are always in the paint.”
USC’s physical identity is another question worth watching. Last season, the Trojans leaned on toughness and pressure to get to the line, where they averaged 18.8 points per game.
Ezra Ausar was a major part of that edge, and the 6-foot-9 forward signed with the Miami Heat on Oct. 15.
This year’s group may look different, especially with six players standing 6-foot-10 or taller. Even so, Musselman made clear that size alone won’t define them.
“We’re pretty young. If you look at our top seven in the rotation, we have a young group,” Musselman said. “Physicality is something we’re still growing.”
USC opens the season against Milwaukee at the Galen Center.
In Other News...
Arizona Just Got A Painful Reality Check In The Rankings
Ohio States trip to USC turned into the kind of setback that can shake up the entire rankings picture, even with the Buckeyes out-gaining the Trojans on the night. With true freshman Luke Fahey starting at quarterback because of Julian Sayins injury, Ohio State still had enough talent to control stretches of the game, but missed tackles, penalties and special teams mistakes kept opening the door for USC to make the most of it.
The ripple effects go beyond Columbus, too. Georgia steadied itself with a win over Florida after its earlier loss, though the passing game still looked like a work in progress, while Floridas offensive issues are pushing it toward another drop after its third loss. And for Arizona, Texas Techs important win only adds to the pressure in a crowded rankings race, the sort of result that can quickly turn a promising week into a painful reality check. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Added More Fuel To Ohio States Ugly Night
After USCs 30-18 win over Ohio State, the night got even messier as Lincoln Riley found himself in the middle of a postgame confrontation while leaving the field. Reporters on hand and video from the scene showed the USC coach exchanging words with Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork and other staff members, turning an already rough loss for the Buckeyes into something more combustible on the way off the turf.
Maurice Clarett, the former Ohio State running back, was also seen stepping in to help cool things down as the moment escalated. For a game that already carried plenty of weight, the postgame scene added another layer of tension, leaving the Buckeyes to sort through both the defeat and the fallout from a night that was ugly in more ways than one. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Than One Road Loss
The upset in Los Angeles did more than hand Ohio State a road loss. USCs defense set the tone early and never let the Buckeyes get comfortable, holding them to one touchdown while piling up tackles for loss and sacks against backup quarterback Luke Fahey. The Trojans also got the kind of explosive play they have been hunting, with Mark Bowman turning a short opening into a 70-yard catch-and-run that helped swing the game in USCs favor.
For Lincoln Riley, the 30-18 win carried extra weight because it was his first top-five victory with the Trojans, and it came against a team that arrived with far more national respect. For Ohio State, the bigger issue now is not just the blemish on the schedule but the way the offense looked under pressure, with a backup quarterback trying to survive behind a line that could not settle things down. [Read more 🡒]