No. 21 USC cruises past Milwaukee in season-opening blowout

LOS ANGELES – The 2026-2027 season for USC basketball is officially underway. It began with an emphatic 95-63 victory over the Milwaukee Panthers on Monday night at the Galen Center, providing the first glimpse of a revamped Trojans roster.

Expectations have certainly been raised for the program this year after an offseason spent compiling some of the most notable transfer and recruiting classes in the nation. Their seven-man transfer class was ranked fourth in the country by On3, while ESPN ranked their recruiting class No. 7. 

USC enters the season ranked No. 21, marking both its first preseason national ranking and highest ranking at any point under head coach Eric Musselman. 

“[I’m] impressed with some things we did from an offensive standpoint, like shooting the three, and super impressed with our two freshmen in the Ratliffs,” Musselman said. “But we got a lot of things to clean up as far as taking care of the basketball. We’ve got to play better in transition.”

Coaching his 12th collegiate season, he improved to 11-1 in season openers and 3-0 with the Trojans. 

From the jump, they were given a nice boost from guard Alijah Arenas. The sophomore, who appeared in just 14 games last season, helped USC open up a quick 10-5 lead as he contributed four points, two rebounds and a steal.

Arenas continued to make an impact the rest of the way, putting together a well-rounded performance. He finished with 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting to lead all guards, adding eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.

“It was amazing,” Arenas said when asked about being available for the season opener. “It’s a blessing that I got to have a full offseason. I’m just all around very excited to play. I have no complaints here for anything whatsoever.”

Meanwhile, the highly-regarded freshman big man twins, Adonis and Darius Ratliff, were exactly as advertised in their regular-season collegiate debuts. Adonis led all scorers, posting 25 points on 7-of-10 shooting (5-of-7 from three). It was the most points by a USC freshman in his debut since O.J. Mayo in 2007.

Dakota Gray – The Sporting Tribune

USC Trojans forward Adonis Ratliff (3) attempts a free throw during a game against the Milwaukee Panthers on Monday, November 2, 2026, at Galen Center in Los Angeles, California.

The 7-footer was just as imposing physically, grabbing six rebounds, blocking two shots and collecting two steals.

Darius was just as effective and equally as trigger-happy with the basketball in his hands. He finished 5-of-10 from the field (1-of-1 from three) for 14 total points, adding two rebounds, two assists and sending away five shots on the defensive end.

“Their shot selection [has] been really good,” Musselman said. “Behind closed doors in practice, it’s been good in the exhibition games, it was good tonight. When Adonis gets his feet set, he’s as good a shooter as…in the two and a half years now that I’ve been here that we’ve had.”

It should be no secret after Monday’s performance that the twins, one of eight sets in college basketball, are going to play a substantial role in the Trojans’ success. Their height and shooting ability will only continue to serve as matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.

“My first college experience was definitely eye-opening,” Darius said. “We played a couple exhibition games, but we saw that there were certain things we need to work on. We just got in the lab, worked on it…just came out and produced.”

Guard Rodney Rice, who elected to return for his senior year after playing in just six games last season, distributed the ball nicely to form a cohesive backcourt duo with Arenas. Rice added 15 points of his own, while his nine assists were just one short of a career high.

“I thought in the first half, he was almost a little too unselfish,” Musselman said. “I didn’t think he really looked to score. Obviously, the nine assists, that’s a large number, especially the way that he can score the basketball. So, I thought he played really well.”

KJ Lewis, coming from Arizona this offseason as one of the Trojans’ transfer additions, scored 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting in 23 minutes. He also provided two assists, a rebound and a steal.

While it was a mostly successful night for USC, the squad will have to monitor the status of junior forward Jacob Cofie, who exited the game in the first half and did not return. Musselman described him as dealing with “severe back spasms” and said he is concerned about Cofie’s potential availability against Wichita State on Sunday.

Sunday’s battle against the Shockers will take place in Nevada at the Tahoe Blue Event Center as part of the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. PT.