The USC men’s basketball team is entering another season of a building era. It’s the second year in the Big Ten Conference and under head coach Eric Musselman.
The roster has been turned over almost completely yet again after the Trojans went 17-18 overall last season and 7-13 in Big Ten play. They lost 76-71 to Purdue in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament to end their season.
USC had exhibition games against Loyola Marymount University and Grand Canyon University before opening up the regular season against Cal Poly on Monday at Galen Center. Conference play begins Dec. 2 at Oregon.
Optimism at Galen Center
USC can start this season fresh and optimistic with its rebuilt roster.
Terrance Williams II is the only returning starter and is one of the best players the Trojans could have come back. He missed most of last season due to a broken wrist but was averaging 10.6 points a game and 32.1 minutes per game in the seven games prior to the injury.
“It was very frustrating,” Williams said. “I did think I was going to come back toward the end of the season. February came and I got the CT scan and it came back with still a little crack in it, that’s when I knew this really might be a long injury and I’ve really just got to sit down and be patient. I’m just glad to be back.”
True freshmen Alijah Arenas and Jerry Easter II also hold promise for the future.
Arenas, son of NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas, excelled in nearly every aspect of the game while at Chatsworth High and reclassed in order to arrive at USC early. He surpassed 3,000 points in his three high school seasons.
The Trojans will have to wait to see Arenas’ full potential, however, as he continues the rehabilitation process for a torn meniscus. Musselman has not provided a definitive timetable for Arenas’ return, although the team is hoping to have him healthy at some point this season.
Easter was the No. 45 recruit in the 2025 class, according to ESPN rankings, and came off the bench to play nearly 22 minutes in the exhibition game at LMU. He finished with five points, three rebounds, three steals and two blocks and started in the next exhibition against GCU.
Jordan Marsh, a UNC Asheville transfer, secured a spot starting at point guard in that preseason game.
“Jordan has been a pleasant surprise,” Musselman told reporters. “I felt like he was definitely a difference-maker as opposed to the other guys that we were recruiting at that spot. He’s been great for us, he really has.”
Increasing defensive power
The Trojans stayed competitive in most statistical categories last season but came up short compared to their opponents when it came to steals and blocks. Eleven of USC’s losses were decided by 10 points or less, making defense a point of emphasis in the offseason.
Musselman told reporters in late September that the team practiced with two defensive coverages over the summer, and gradually added two more coverages in the fall.
“So now, it’s just kind of about adding some things that we didn’t get to put in over those eight weeks in the summer,” Musselman said. “And also now, it’s important to stay healthy.”
Youngstown State transfer Gabe Dynes can use his 7-foot-5 frame to pull down defensive rebounds and is learning to become more physical as well as absorb contact to draw fouls.
“I think it was the fourth or fifth practice and I tried to box out Gabe a couple times and I couldn’t get it,” the 6-foot-7 Williams said. “It’s gonna be hard down there. Ain’t much you can do when he got it up here.”
Dynes had six blocks against LMU and two against GCU.
Amarion Dickerson, a 6-foot-7 guard, was the Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year at Robert Morris University last season. He averaged 5.9 boards and 2.3 blocks per game.
Six players recorded at last one steal in USC’s season-opening exhibition at LMU. Easter and Williams led the team with three steals apiece.
The Baker-Mazara effect
College basketball analyst Andy Katz named Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara one of his top 10 Big Ten men’s basketball newcomers for this season – and for good reason.
The 6-foot-7 small forward, who reached the Final Four last season with Auburn, recorded 12.3 points, three rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals per game.
He’s been spotted making buzzer-beaters at practice as well as sinking unthinkable shots and led USC with 14 points against LMU in his 31 minutes off the bench. His charismatic aura shines with the Trojans, too.
“He’s got as much personality as anyone you could be around,” Musselman said. “We know if the shot clock’s winding down, there’s a good chance that he’ll take a shot that everybody in the building would say, that’s a crazy-looking shot, but it’s probably got as good a chance as any player shooting that in the world.”