USC Trojans' Intriguing NCAA Tournament Chances

After USC Trojans and coach Eric Musselman were unable to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, it seems that after a busy offseason, USC may be trending in the right direction.

Through this offseason, Musselman and the Trojans have made several additions across the roster through the transfer portal and high school recruiting. USC was also able to get three key players back from 2025, guards Alijah Arenas and Rodney Rice in addition to forward Jacob Cofie.

As a result of the roster changes the Trojans have made, it does appear that USC could be in a prime position to make the NCAA Tournament and hold its own through a tough Big Ten schedule.

USC Trojans Included Latest Men's Basketball Bracketology Next Season Coach Eric Musselman Big Ten NCAA Tournament — Feb 8, 2026; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Southern California Trojans head coach Eric Musselman looks on from the bench during the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Bryce Jordan Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images | Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

Early NCAA Tournament Projection

While it is still quite early in the process to predict results for next season, CBS Sports writers David Cobb and Jacob Fetner collaborated to create an early NCAA Tournament Bracketology.

In this early projection, Cobb and Fetner predict that the Trojans will finish as a No. 7 seed, which indicates that USC does have an opportunity to find solid success in the Big Ten. As the seventh seed in this projection, the Trojans would match up with an ACC competitor in the NC State Wolfpack.

While this is a projection, an opportunity like this could be huge for USC with a chance to take down an ACC school to not only advance to the second round but also build on the narrative that the Big Ten argues to be the top conference in college basketball. In 2025, this narrative received a huge boost as the Michigan Wolverines won the men’s tournament and the UCLA Bruins won the women’s tournament.

This projection by Cobb and Fetner also revealed the belief they have in the Big Ten as one of the deepest conferences, as a result of projecting the Big Ten to have the most participants of any conference, with 12 total teams. The list of Big Ten teams in this model includes Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Purdue, Nebraska, UCLA, Ohio State, Wisconsin, Indiana, USC, Maryland, and Oregon.

From the list of Big Ten NCAA Tournament teams in this projection, the Trojans will play Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Oregon, Purdue, and rival UCLA. With USC’s opponents in mind, this seems to be a strong statement from Cobb and Fetner that the Trojans will not only make it to March but can compete with top-end teams as they play nine teams that, in their minds, are NCAA Tournament caliber.

Heading into the 2026 season, it does appear that USC does have a difficult conference schedule, however, after several additions through the transfer portal and high school recruiting, this roster could be ready to compete in the Big Ten and potentially make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

The Impact Of Eric Reibe On USC’s Roster

If the Trojans can qualify for the NCAA Tournament, one of the biggest factors in how USC performs may be the experience that UConn transfer center Eric Reibe brings to the table.

Just last season, Reibe was a part of a UConn team that made the national championship game, but ultimately fell to Michigan. During Reibe’s 2025 campaign with UConn, he recorded 5.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game as he played in all 40 games.

With the experience Reibe gained in 2025 playing for a team like UConn, he could be a critical piece for USC in the frontcourt in terms of production, but could also be just as valuable in helping to prepare the entire team for what the high-pressure moments feel like and how to prepare for them.

Having someone like Reibe, who has made a deep run into March, could be significant for USC in getting each player prepared mentally and physically for what it takes to win consistently late in the season, which can be something that many teams struggle with.

Reibe could also be key in helping to develop USC’s young freshman class, which has three frontcourt players: forward Christian Collins, and centers Adonis Ratliff and Darius Ratliff. While Reibe could be impactful for developing Collins, his impact on the Ratliff twins could be hugely beneficial for the future of the USC basketball program.

Standing at 7-1 and 260 pounds, Reibe has the understanding of what it takes to play at the size that the Ratliff twins do, and also what it takes to stay healthy in addition to being productive on the court.

As the Trojans prepare for the 2026 season, Reibe’s ability to help prepare USC’s roster for the intense moments in the NCAA Tournament, in addition to helping to develop the Ratliff twins,s could be the key in helping the Trojans to find success next season, but also build a dominant frontcourt for years to come.

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