With the Big Ten schedule announced Thursday and nonconference play set to kick off in less than a month, men’s basketball is officially preparing for battle. Twenty total conference games — 10 on the road and 10 at home — await the Trojans this season, setting up a challenging road ahead for the team in its second Big Ten season.

In Head Coach Eric Musselman’s first season at the helm, his Trojans finished with a 17-18 record, going 7-13 in Big Ten action, placing them 14th in the conference and failing to make the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year. 

However, several top transfers are expected to make an immediate impact in their inaugural USC seasons: Graduate forward Chad Baker-Mazara from a Final Four Auburn squad and junior guard Rodney Rice, Maryland’s third-leading scorer, will hope to continue their success in Southern California.

With these new additions, USC looks to improve from last year’s lackluster performance and compete for a spot in March Madness. High expectations will follow the Trojans throughout the season, just as they will for many of USC’s Big Ten rivals. Here’s a quick look at three of the biggest conference games in the 2025-26 season for USC.

Jan. 2: Michigan

Michigan marks just the third game of conference play for USC, and the toughest opponent up to that point. Michigan will be the start of a long and difficult road trip for the Trojans. The Wolverines went 27-10 overall and 14-6 in conference play last season, good for second place in the Big Ten and a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Thanks to its highly-ranked recruiting class, Michigan will be coming in hot again this season. After adding the top-rated player in the portal, graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg, Michigan is poised for another very successful season.

When Michigan and USC last faced off in January, the Wolverines handed the Trojans an 85-74 loss at Galen Center. Taking home a win in Ann Arbor won’t be an easy task for the Trojans, but USC will have to stay competitive against a well put-together Michigan team if Musselman’s squad wants a shot at March Madness.

Jan. 5: Michigan State

Just three days after USC’s matchup against Michigan, the Trojans will face Michigan State at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, right in the middle of a three-game Trojan road trip. 

The Spartans took home the Big Ten regular-season title last season, going 30-7 in all games and 17-3 in conference play. Like their counterpart to the south, they earned a spot in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, securing a No. 2 seed before falling to the Baker-Mazara-led Auburn team in the Elite Eight.

Though Michigan State fared extremely well in its 2024-25 campaign, the Trojans eked out a 70-64 upset over the Spartans in February for one of their biggest and most exciting wins of the season. This year’s game will be no different in terms of energy and excitement, as Michigan State seeks revenge while USC vies to strengthen its tournament resume against a top opponent.

Feb. 24: UCLA

UCLA will continue to be a significant threat coming into this season, bolstered by recent acquisitions like senior guard Donovan Dent from New Mexico State University — a top-15 scorer in the nation last season — and junior forward Xavier Booker from Michigan State. USC is set to face UCLA twice this season, but given that their first matchup is at Pauley Pavilion, the Trojans will start off facing a much tougher environment.

UCLA finished 23-11 last season while going 13-7 in the Big Ten, securing an NCAA Tournament berth before a second-round exit. In the first of two matchups between these crosstown rivals, the Trojans will seek a win against the Bruins for the first time in the Musselman era.

The Trojans’ first conference game will be held on Dec. 2 in Eugene, Oregon, one of two games against the Ducks. As USC focuses day by day, all eyes are set on the Trojans’ first matchup in their exhibition game on Oct. 18 against another Southern California school, Loyola Marymount University. Although it will be an exhibition, it will serve as an early gauge for Musselman’s squad as they head into a hopeful 2025-26 season.