The USC men’s basketball team opened the season with a lopsided 95-63 win over Milwaukee on Monday night at the Galen Center, and the spotlight fell quickly on a trio of sons of former NBA All-Stars.
Alijah Arenas, Adonis Ratliff and Darius Ratliff all played major roles in the Trojans’ first game of the year, with each freshman earning an early place in the rotation. Arenas finished with 21 points, eight rebounds and two steals, while Adonis Ratliff led USC with 25 points on 70% shooting and added six rebounds. Darius Ratliff chipped in 14 points on 50% shooting and blocked a team-high five shots.
Arenas, the son of Gilbert Arenas, and the Ratliff twins, sons of Theo Ratliff, arrived with built-in familiarity for head coach Eric Musselman. Musselman coached Arenas with the Golden State Warriors in the 2002-03 season and worked with Theo Ratliff as an assistant for the Atlanta Hawks in 2001-02.
Before the game, Alijah Arenas said he was focused on building confidence in what will be his sophomore season and his first full season after an injury delayed his start last year. He looked comfortable from the opening possession, tipping in a missed shot for USC’s first points and scoring 10 in the first half while going 4-for-8 from the field.
Darius Ratliff made his presence felt on both ends early. The 7-foot center showed touch from the perimeter, knocking down a 3-pointer at the 11:39 mark of the first half, then sprinting back to reject a Milwaukee shot and force a timeout. That basket pushed USC ahead 19-7, and the Trojans stretched the run to 21-2 when Jadis Jones dunked with 8:49 left before halftime.
USC controlled the game from there, taking a 46-29 lead into the break. Adonis Ratliff took over after halftime, scoring 18 of his 25 points in the second half while drawing tight coverage most of the way. He finished 6 for 7 from the floor and 4 for 5 from 3-point range.
KJ Lewis, a Georgetown transfer, was the first player off the bench and entered for Rodney Rice about five minutes into the game. He scored 10 points before foul trouble slowed him down late.
Jacob Cofie, one of three returners along with Arenas and Rice, started but logged limited minutes. He spent most of the night at the end of the bench beside the athletic training staff.
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For USC, the addition fits the broader momentum around a class that now sits at 15 commitments. Jones brings the kind of upside programs covet along the defensive front, and the fact that he chose the Trojans after being tied elsewhere suggests the staff made a real impression in person. The next question is how far his game can go once he gets into USCs system. [Read more 🡒]
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Ryan Day was blunt afterward about what went wrong for the Buckeyes, pointing to penalties, mistakes, red zone issues and turnovers as the reasons the game slipped away. Ohio State now turns to Oregon, while USC gets a week off before lining up against Indiana, with this upset likely to linger as the Trojans reset for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]