Throughout the offseason, the USC Trojans appear to have done a solid job adding talent through the transfer portal and high school recruiting, which could help USC to take a major step forward in 2026.
With the additions that the Trojans have made, it seems that USC may be in a great spot in the Big Ten following a strong statement from a college basketball analyst.
Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Alijah Arenas (0) reacts against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights in the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
USC’s Top Big Ten Talent
“On paper, USC might be the most talented team in the Big Ten. We’ll see if they can put it all together,” said college basketball analyst Andy Katz.
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As Katz talked about, the Trojans have added lots of talent across the board in the backcourt and in the frontcourt. Based on those additions, this could be one of the best offseasons thus far for coach Eric Musselman.
With all the talent that USC has, one of the biggest keys to the season may very well be how the backcourt combination of guards Alijah Arenas, Rodney Rice, and KJ Lewis can work together. Arenas and Rice both returned to the Trojans after the 2025 season, and Lewis transferred over to USC from Georgetown.
In terms of scoring, this backcourt combination could become one of the more dangerous in the country. During the 2025 season, Rice led the Trojans in scoring as he averaged 20.3 points per game, Arenas was also solid as he averaged 14.1 points per game, and Lewis could also add a level of scoring as he averaged 14.9 points per game, which led Georgetown.
In addition to Arenas and Rice returning, USC also brought back forward Jacob Cofie, who initially declared for the NBA Draft but ultimately decided to return to play for the Trojans in the 2026 season.
Mar 14, 2026; New York, NY, USA; Connecticut Huskies center Eric Reibe (12) works around St. John’s Red Storm forward Rubn Prey (17)…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/one-analysts-comments-usc-college-000003307.html
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Publish date : 2026-06-07 00:00:00
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