USC season preview: Rodney Rice leads a mostly new roster

Where last season ended

USC finished 18-14 overall and 7-13 in the Big Ten, 12th in the conference. Eric Musselman coached the Trojans. Their last game was a 79-83 loss to Washington on March 11 at a neutral site. Sports-Reference lists no NCAA Tournament game for USC.

Who is gone

Chad Baker-Mazara averaged 18.5 points and 4.2 rebounds, and Ezra Ausar averaged 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds. They were USC's second and third leading scorers. Kam Woods (8.8 points), Jordan Marsh (7.3 points), Jerry Easter (4.4 points) and Gabe Dynes (2.9 points) are also not on the 2026-27 roster. The averages come from Sports-Reference. The sources give no reasons for any departure.

Who is back

Rodney Rice, a senior guard, averaged 20.3 points and 6.0 assists in 2025-26, the top scoring average on the team. The Big Ten named him to its 2026-27 preseason All-Big Ten team. Alijah Arenas, a sophomore guard, averaged 14.1 points as a freshman. Jacob Cofie, a junior forward, averaged 9.9 points and 6.8 rebounds.

Who is new

Seven transfers joined: KJ Lewis (senior guard, Georgetown), Isaac Bruns (senior guard, South Dakota), Jalen Cox (senior guard, Colgate), Eric Reibe (sophomore center, Connecticut), Jadis Jones (junior guard, Lindenwood), Joshua Hughes (senior forward, Evansville) and Aaron Hunkin-Claytor (junior guard, Hawaii).

The freshman class is listed below.

Incoming freshmen

USC adds four first-year players, and ESPN ranks the class No. 5 in the country. Christian Collins and both Ratliffs are all ranked in ESPN's final top 30 players.

• Christian Collins, forward, 6-9, from St. John Bosco High School, Inglewood, Calif. No. 5 in ESPN's final 2026 SC Next 100.
• Adonis Ratliff, forward, 6-11, from Archbishop Stepinac High School, Atlanta, Ga. No. 21 in ESPN's final 2026 SC Next 100.
• Darius Ratliff, center, 7-0, from Archbishop Stepinac High School, Atlanta, Ga. No. 30 in ESPN's final 2026 SC Next 100.
• Onyeka Joe Agu, center, 6-10, from Brussels Basketball, Herent, Belgium. He played two seasons in Belgium's BNXT League before signing with USC.

The number to know

Three-point percentage is made threes divided by attempts. USC made 31.4% of its threes in 2025-26, which ranked 316th of 365 teams on Sports-Reference, across 32 games. The figure shows how often USC's threes went in last season. It does not show which players will shoot better this season, and it does not separate transfers from returners.

Questions for this season

Can the shooting improve enough to matter? A 31.4% rate ranked 316th, the lowest tier on the page.

How much does Rice carry? He averaged 20.3 points and 6.0 assists, and no other returner has a comparable scoring line in the sources.

Do eleven newcomers form a rotation quickly? The roster has seven transfers and four freshmen.

Our early read

Middle of the pack (10th-13th) is our call. Rice gives USC a proven scorer, and the roster adds seven transfers. Losing its second and third leading scorers, along with a 31.4% three-point rate last season, keeps this projection below the top tier. The Columbus Dispatch preseason media poll ranked USC seventh, a placement above this tier. We project the Trojans 10th.