No. 21 USC shot 56.9% from the field and led by as many as 36 points in a 95-63 victory over Milwaukee on Monday night at Galen Center in the season opener for both teams.
The Trojans finished with five players in double digits.
In their collegiate debuts, freshman starting forward Adonis Ratliff shot 7 of 10 from the field, including 5 of 7 from the 3-point range, and grabbed six rebounds for the Trojans. His twin brother, freshman starting center Darius Ratliff, added 14 points and five blocks of his own.
Senior guard Rodney Rice finished with 15 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Alijah Arenas shot 9 of 14 and had eight rebounds, while senior guard KJ Lewis added 10 off the bench.
Head coach Eric Musselman praised Adonis Ratliff’s shooting and said it should catch the attention of NBA scouts.
“The shooting for a seven-footer at his size is, I mean, it’s unique,” Musselman said.
USC shot 56.9% (33 of 58) and made 12 of 22 3-pointers, all while piling up 25 assists on its 33 baskets. The Trojans had 12 steals and seven blocks, scoring 19 points off Milwaukee’s 17 turnovers.
Arenas said the Trojans’ confidence was high from the start.
“Started out hot, started out strong,” he said. “Confidence was still through the roof.”
Freshman guard Amare Hereford scored 14 points for Milwaukee, senior guards Tre Norman had 13 and Isaiah Dorceus had 10. The Panthers shot 37.1% (23 of 62) and went 6 of 23 from beyond the arc.
“They changed everything,” Milwaukee head coach Bart Lundy said. “[USC’s] positional size really bothered us.”
Lundy said the Panthers cut the deficit to 15 at times, but Adonis Ratliff’s 3-pointers and Rice’s playmaking “opened it back up.” Lundy also said Rice is “probably going to be an All-American candidate.”
USC never trailed after being tied at 2-2. The Trojans, ranked in the AP preseason poll for the first time since the 2023-24 season, went on a 6-0 run to lead 12-5 early. They were up by as many as 21 in the first half and went into the break ahead 46-29.
Milwaukee shot 35.5% in the first half (11 of 31) and went 3 of 11 from the 3-point range, with nine turnovers. USC shot 53.6% (15 of 28) before halftime and had four blocks and six steals.
Rice did much of his first-half work away from the scoring column. He missed all three shots but had six assists and two rebounds. He scored 11 of his 15 points after halftime, while also helping to set the tone on defense. Arenas had 10 points and five rebounds before the break, and Darius Ratliff scored 11. Lewis added eight points off the bench, including two 3-pointers.
Musselman said he thought Rice was “almost a little too unselfish” in the first half.
“I didn’t think he really looked to score,” Musselman said. “I thought in the second half he got scored on, and then I kind of saw his eyes light up, and he came down and hit a three off the bounce.”
Rice’s nine assists were “what the game called for tonight for him and our team,” Musselman said.
USC pushed the lead to 29 early in the second half using a 15-0 run, the Trojans’ largest of the night. The margin reached a game-high 36 at 92-56 late in the second half, cementing a lead Milwaukee couldn’t reach.
The Ratliff twins, both former McDonald’s All-Americans, combined for all seven of USC’s blocks. Darius Ratliff said his job is to back up the guards.
Adonis Ratliff, on the other hand, said his first college game followed some film-room work after the preseason exhibitions.
“We played a couple exhibition games, and we seen that there were certain things we needed to work on,” he said. “So we just got in the lab, found the film room, just came out and produced.”
With so many scorers on the roster, the Trojans said sharing the ball takes buy-in.
“We all have to put our pride aside,” Arenas said. “Even though everybody can score, you see you’re open for a good shot, but he might have a better shot. So it’s all about sacrificing.”
However, the Trojans were without junior forward Jacob Cofie for the second half because of severe back spasms. Cofie, a starter, had two points, three rebounds and a steal in nine minutes of play before halftime.
Musselman said Cofie tried to warm up on the stationary bike at halftime, but it was clear he could not continue. “It wasn’t up for discussion whether he was going to play,” Musselman said.
Cofie’s injury could raise concerns about his availability for Wichita State, the Trojans’ next game. Between Cofie and the injuries to freshman forward Christian Collins, sophomore center Eric Reibe and freshman center Onyeka Joe Agu, Musselman said that the Trojans’ rebounding will take a hit.
“Not having Jacob for the entire last 30 minutes of the game, or whatever it was when he went out, is going to affect our rebounding for sure,” he said.
Milwaukee grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, and Musselman said the Trojans’ goal was to hold the Panthers to nine.
“When you hold a team below 40% from the field, there’s going to be a lot of misses, and then with a lot of misses become opportunities for offensive rebounds,” Musselman said.
The Trojans outscored Milwaukee 49-34 in the second half, with 40-30 in the paint and 16-5 on fast breaks.
With the win, Musselman is now 11-1 in season openers, including 3-0 at USC.
USC plays Wichita State next in the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic at Tahoe Blue Arena in Stateline, Nev. on Nov. 8th at 8:00 p.m. PST.
Edited by Adriana Brady and Sammie Vassallo