The USC Trojans men’s basketball team is still seeking their first NCAA Tournament appearance under coach Eric Musselman. Musselman is entering his third season with USC. The 2026-27 team looks like it could be his best yet.
USC No. 13 in Top 25 Rankings
Nov 26, 2025; Lahaina, HI, USA; USC Trojans head coach Eric Musselman reacts with his team after they defeated the Arizona State Sun Devils in the championship match at Lahaina Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Marco Garcia-Imagn Images | Marco Garcia-Imagn Images
Fox Sports college basketball analyst Casey Jacobsen revealed his most recent top 25 rankings. He has USC at No. 13. That’s a strong ranking for a team that’s coming off a 18-14 2025-26 season. The Trojans have not made the NCAA Tournament since 2023. Finishing No. 13 would comfortably slate USC into the tournament field.
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USC is the fourth highest ranked Big Ten team according to Jacobsen.
No. 2: Illinois Fighting Illini
No. 3: Michigan Wolverines
No. 7: Michigan State Spartans
No. 13: USC Trojans
Michigan head coach Dusty May swings the net after winning the NCAA national championship against Connecticut at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Monday, April 6, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
The Big Ten as a conference finally snapped their 25-plus year drought of not winning a national title in men’s basketball last season. Michigan dominated the league during the regular season, winning the conference title. They earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and cruised to the national title game, beating the UConn Huskies in low-scoring affair to cut down the nets.
However, Michigan isn’t even the highest ranked Big Ten team on this list. That would be Illinois, ranked above Michigan by one spot at No. 2. The Illini made it all the way to the Final Four last season, where they were eliminated by UConn.
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Key Returners, Incoming Transfers for USC
Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Rodney Rice (1) dribbles the ball during the first half of the Hall of Fame Series game against the Illinois State Redbirds at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
USC’s starting backcourt next season could be one of the most explosive in the country. Guards Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas are each retuning for their second season in Los Angeles.
Rice played in the first six games of the year for USC, averaging a team high 20.3 points per game. Unfortunately, his season was cut short right after this due to a shoulder injury. He’lllook to pick up right where he left off this upcoming season.
Alijah Arenas was USC’s highly-touted freshman guard last season. The class of 2025 five-star recruit had a turbulent offseason before being able to step on the court for USC.
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In April of 2025, Arenas was involved in a car crash that resulted in him being placed in an induced coma due to smoke inhalation. Luckily, Arenas ended up being okay and was able to make a relatively quick return back to the court.
A few months later in July, Arenas suffered a torn meniscus that required surgery. This kept him from making his USC debut until late February. In 14 games played as a freshman, Arenas averaged 14.1 points per game. It will be exciting to see how much he can improve as a sophomore if he has a healthy offseason of training.
Feb 7, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Georgetown Hoyas guard KJ Lewis (5) is found by Villanova Wildcats guard Acaden Lewis (55) during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-Imagn Images | Brad Mills-Imagn Images
In the transfer portal, USC added a few key pieces. Out of their six incoming transfers, 247Sports rates two of them as four-stars: center Eric Reibe and guard KJ Lewis. Reibe played last year for UConn as a freshman and has a lot of upside. Lewis on the other hand is a proven scorer and is coming from Georgetown. He averaged 14.9 points per game for the Hoyas as a junior in 2025-26.
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With this being Musselman’s third year, now is the time for the Trojans to make the NCAA Tournament. Their chances are even higher now with the tournament expanding from 68 teams to 76.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as USC Trojans Fans Will Love Latest Preseason Top 25 Rankings .
