USC Trojans’ Intriguing NCAA Tournament Chances

After USC Trojans and coach Eric Musselman were unable to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, it seems that after a busy offseason, USC may be trending in the right direction.

Through this offseason, Musselman and the Trojans have made several additions across the roster through the transfer portal and high school recruiting. USC was also able to get three key players back from 2025, guards Alijah Arenas and Rodney Rice in addition to forward Jacob Cofie.

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As a result of the roster changes the Trojans have made, it does appear that USC could be in a prime position to make the NCAA Tournament and hold its own through a tough Big Ten schedule.

Feb 8, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman looks on from the bench during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images

Early NCAA Tournament Projection

While it is still quite early in the process to predict results for next season, CBS Sports writers David Cobb and Jacob Fetner collaborated to create an early NCAA Tournament Bracketology.

In this early projection, Cobb and Fetner predict that the Trojans will finish as a No. 7 seed, which indicates that USC does have an opportunity to find solid success in the Big Ten. As the seventh seed in this projection, the Trojans would match up with an ACC competitor in the NC State Wolfpack.

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While this is a projection, an opportunity like this could be huge for USC with a chance to take down an ACC school to not only advance to the second round but also build on the narrative that the Big Ten argues to be the top conference in college basketball. In 2025, this narrative received a huge boost as the Michigan Wolverines won the men’s tournament and the UCLA Bruins won the women’s tournament.

USC Trojans head coach Eric Musselman watches during the second half of the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Ohio State…

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Publish date : 2026-06-14 20:00:00

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