On Monday, USC men’s basketball announced its non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season, consisting of a couple of Power Four matchups, high-quality mid-major schools and opponents the Trojans hope will be a tune-up. 

In 2025, USC thrived in its non-conference slate, going a perfect 11-0 in the regular season — including a victory at the Southwest Maui Invitational. 

The Trojans — who are entering the season with high expectations — hope to replicate last year’s success, along with improving their Big Ten play in 2026.

Trojans look to start season strong

USC’s early home games will likely give the Trojans faithful optimism for the season to come, as Head Coach Eric Musselman’s squad should be able to handle business against the lower-quality programs. These early battles at Galen Center include the season opener against Milwaukee University, along with hosting the University of Arkansas at Pine-Bluff, Tarleton State University and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. 

None of these four programs eclipsed 15 wins in the 2025-26 season, all finishing with a winning percentage under .500. In addition, these teams struggled mightily on the road, as they held a combined record of 16-52 away from home. 

In the early part of the season, though, two of USC’s opponents will be no cakewalk. On Nov. 8, the Trojans will travel to Nevada to play Wichita State University for the first rendition of the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic, followed by their Nov. 11 matchup at UC Berkeley.

The Shockers were just one win away from making the NCAA Tournament last year, losing in the American Athletic Conference championship game to the eventual No. 11-seeded University of South Florida. Additionally, Wichita State made a run to the quarterfinals in the National Invitation Tournament, showing its formidability despite being a mid-major program. 

As for Cal, it finished with a successful 22-12 regular-season record but was bounced in the first and second rounds of the ACC Tournament and NIT, respectively. However, the Golden Bears’ 17-5 home record last season is a big reason for USC to approach this matchup cautiously. 

Two-game stretch brings tough competition

A highlight of the Trojans’ non-conference schedule comes in late November, when they make the short trip to Palm Desert for the Acrisure Series — a two-game stint where they will face South Carolina on Nov. 25 and Utah State University on Nov. 26. 

This series will serve as a gauge of USC’s true talent compared to the rest of men’s college basketball. The Gamecocks are the second Power Four school that Musselman and company will face in non-conference play, despite them being one of the bottom feeders of the SEC. Last season, they won just 13 games and went 0-3 in neutral site matchups — a trend USC looks to continue.

The bigger threat comes at the hands of the Aggies, who were 29-7 and earned the Mountain West title last year, earning them a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament. After defeating Villanova University in their first-round game, the Aggies fell to No. 1-seeded Arizona, where they lost by 12. 

In one of the toughest non-conference games of the season, the battle will not be easy, especially given Utah State’s record of 7-1 in neutral site games last year. 

Major threat looms large in December 

As the calendar turns, USC will get a relative break. The Trojans will head south on Dec. 8 to play the University of San Diego, Musselman’s alma mater and a team that won just 12 games in 2025-26. While a road game is never something to take lightly, the Trojans handled the Toreros 94-81 last season, a result that USC should be able to imitate this year. 

Following that is the Trojans’ most challenging non-conference test: a Dec. 13 date on the road against Texas Tech.

Last season, the Red Raiders picked up several wins over blue-blood programs, including Duke, Arizona, Houston and Iowa State — all of which were either No. 1 or No. 2 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Their success earned them a No. 5 seed in the tournament, but they suffered a second-round exit to Alabama.  

The significance of this game cannot be overstated: When March rolls around, this will likely be one of the key games the committee looks at when evaluating the Trojans’ season. If that wasn’t enough, Texas Tech went 14-2 at home in 2025-26, adding to the difficulty USC will face when visiting Fort Worth.  

The non-conference schedule will end with far easier competition when the Trojans come back home to face Jacksonville University on Dec. 19, before finishing up non-conference play against Western Michigan University on Dec. 22. Both teams combined for just a .349 win percentage last season. 

USC’s non-conference play will begin after its three exhibition games, beginning with a bout against North Carolina on Oct. 9 at 4 p.m. at First Horizon Coliseum in Greensboro.