We’re going team-by-team across Big Ten men’s basketball to assess where everyone stands and how things could shake out in 2026-27.
USC enters its third year with Eric Musselman at the helm searching for its first NCAA Tournament appearance in four years. The Trojans haven’t won a March Madness game since 2021. The team has recorded two very similar seasons since moving to the Big Ten in 2024: 17-18 in 2024-25, and 18-14 in 2025-26, both with 7-13 conference records that tied for 12th place. USC turns over a lot of its roster yet again, though the new-look squad could have some potential.
WHO’S GONE:
- Chad Baker-Mazara (18.5 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Ezra Ausar (14.8 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Kam Woods (8.8 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Jordan Marsh (7.3 PPG) (transfer — Temple)
- Jaden Brownell (5.1 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Amarion Dickerson (4.6 PPG) (transfer — Grand Canyon)
- Jerry Easter II (4.4 PPG) (transfer — Oregon)
- Gabe Dynes (2.9 PPG) (transfer — Louisville)
- Ryan Cornish (2.4 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Terrance Williams (2.2 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- EJ Neal Jr. (0.8 PPG) (transfer — uncommitted)
WHO’S BACK:
- Rodney Rice, G, Sr. (20.3 PPG in six games)
- Alijah Arenas, G, So. (14.1 PPG)
- Jacob Cofie, F, Jr. (9.9 PPG)
WHO’S NEW:
Transfer portal
- Isaac Bruns, G, Sr. (20.8 PPG at South Dakota)
- Jalen Cox, G, Sr. (17.9 PPG at Colgate)
- Jadis Jones, G, Jr. (15.3 PPG at Lindenwood)
- KJ Lewis, G, Sr. (14.9 PPG at Georgetown)
- Joshua Hughes, F, Sr. (9.3 PPG at Evansville)
- Aaron Hunkin-Claytor, G, Jr. (6 PPG at Hawai’i)
- Eric Reibe, C, So. (5.9 PPG at UConn)
Freshmen (Rankings from 247Sports)
- Christian Collins, F (five-star, No. 9)
- Adonis Ratliff, F (four-star, No. 22)
- Darius Ratliff, C (four-star, No. 28)
RETURNING MINUTES: 38 percent (per barttorvik.com) (10th in the Big Ten)
Why it will work
USC just has a lot of talent on this roster. Arenas and Cofie had solid seasons for the Trojans last year, and Rice is a proven Big Ten player from his time at Maryland. Three top-30 freshmen, including a top-10 recruit in Collins, should yield multiple contributors. And Musselman brought in some pieces out of the transfer portal with a lot of production to their names. Much of that came at the mid-major level, which — as IU fans know — doesn’t always translate to power conferences. But if a few of those transfers are hits, and if two or three of the freshmen pan out quickly, USC could be in line for some serious improvement.
Why it won’t
Of course, it’s that pesky word ‘if,’ in that last sentence. USC has enough bankable production in Arenas and Rice to avoid the cellar of the Big Ten standings, but there are so many unknowns. The Trojans haven’t been especially bad at anything in particular under Musselman, but they haven’t been particularly excellent anywhere, either. He’s yet to recapture the juice he had during successful runs at Nevada and Arkansas. He has a roster with potential for 2026-27, but if things don’t play out as he’s hoping and expecting, it could turn into another bumpy season at the Galen Center.
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