The No. 21 USC men’s basketball team opened up their season on Monday night with a dominant home win against the Milwaukee Panthers, 95-63.
Eleven players on the team played at least eight minutes in this game, with nine of those players getting into the scoring column.
While head coach Eric Musselman rotated players in and out allowing for active players to get playing time, how difficult will it be going forward for him to create lineups with the amount of depth this team has?
In the guard rotation, senior KJ Lewis led Georgetown last year in points with 14.9 points per game and senior Jalen Cox averaged over 15 points per game at Colgate. Senior Isaac Bruns was a lights-out shooter at South Dakota and juniors Jadis Jones and Aaron Hunkin-Claytor were key pieces for Lindenwood and Hawaii, respectively.
The front court depth is not to be overlooked either, as sophomore center Eric Reibe, who was one of the Trojan’s main transfer portal additions, is still battling an injury. Reibe was a strong asset for head coach Dan Hurley and UConn on their tournament run, providing key minutes off the bench when starting center Tarris Reed was tired. Evansville transfer and senior forward Joshua Hughes is another key piece for Musselman, as he provides shooting ability and works well in the Trojan’s pick and roll offense.
Currently,Musselman is sticking with freshmen Adonis and Darius Ratliff in the starting lineup at the forward position. When Reibe and freshman forward Christian Collins return, all eyes will be looking to see the different lineups Musselman deploys and how he utilizes their different skill sets.
Last season, the team relied heavily on one-on-one offense that saw former guard Chad Baker Mazara or junior forward Jacob Cofie throwing up shots in isolation late in the shot clock.
Although the season has barely opened, USC was getting to their offensive sets where they were able to work the pick and roll game to get freshman center Darius Ratliff an open lob or an open three for one of the shooters. By playing out of set plays instead of one on one basketball, the team was able to tally 25 assists in the game, showing their willingness to pass and share the ball.
Ratliff along with his twin brother and freshman forward Adonis’ shooting ability and versatility, at 7 ‘0 " and 6’11” respectively, provides Musselman with a level of athleticism that USC hasn’t had in years.
“When Adonis [Ratliff] gets his feet set, he is as good of a shooter in the two and a half years or whatever you want to say two years and one game now that I’ve been here that we’ve had,” said Musselman.
Adonis Ratliff hit five threes in the game and his ability to stretch the floor will allow the Trojans to play with a lot of pace this season while being more effective in the transition game, something Musselman’s teams have struggled with in the past.
The returning guards were also key and will be the backbone of the teaming going forward. Sophomore guard Alijah Arenas and senior guard Rodney Rice make up a backcourt that will wreak havoc in conference play. Rice was a part of the Crab 5 team at Maryland that reached the Sweet 16; his tournament experience and veteran poise will help the Trojans in bigger games in the future.
“Those guys, their chemistry has been really good,” Musselman said. “They were playing off of each other,... and when you have 25 assists in a college game, that’s an incredible number.”
With the scoring coming primarily from Arenas and Rice, the primary role of Lewis and Cox this season will be defense. They are both quick guards who can come off the bench and bring the ball up the court while pestering the other teams’ starting guards and forcing steals.
Looking ahead at the Trojans next game, they are slated to face Wichita State in a neutral site matchup at the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic. The Shockers will be no push over, as they were one win away from making the field of 68 in 2026 and will be a tough matchup for the Trojans away from home court.
Although it is still early days, if Musselman can make effective substitutions and help the team tighten up their defensive rebounding ahead of Big Ten play, they are projected to be a top team when March rolls around.
Edited by Adriana Brady and Bennett M. Weinschenk