After briefly cracking the AP Top 25 earlier this month, USC men’s basketball is officially back in the national spotlight. The Trojans re-enter the rankings at No. 24 following a dominant nonconference run and some timely losses by teams ahead of them.
It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster for USC. They climbed into the rankings earlier in December, only to fall out after an upset loss to Washington.
But head coach Eric Musselman didn’t shy away from making his case. After a statement win over Washington State, he publicly lobbied for his squad to be ranked - and now, that push has paid off.
With Auburn and St. John’s both stumbling this past week, the door opened, and USC stepped through.
The Trojans wrapped up their nonconference schedule with a win over Division III UC Santa Cruz, capping off a perfect 11-0 mark outside of Big Ten play. While the strength of schedule during that stretch wasn’t exactly daunting, you can’t argue with an undefeated record. It’s the kind of consistency Musselman has been preaching since taking over the program.
In conference play, USC is 1-1 - a road win over Oregon and the aforementioned loss to Washington. That early Big Ten split leaves more questions than answers, but January should bring clarity in a hurry.
After a week off, the Trojans will dive headfirst into the teeth of the Big Ten. First up: a road trip to Ann Arbor to face No.
2 Michigan, followed by a showdown in East Lansing against No. 9 Michigan State.
These aren’t just tough games - they’re measuring sticks. After handling business against a soft nonconference slate, USC now gets a chance to prove it belongs in the national conversation.
The schedule is about to get real, and we’re going to learn a lot about this team - and fast.