With both the men’s and women’s basketball nonconference schedules released, Trojan fans are now one step closer to the start of the 2025-26 USC basketball season. 

The previous season saw both notable changes and long-running patterns for the two storied programs, highlighted by the move from the Pacific-12 Conference to the Big Ten. On the men’s side, first-year Head Coach Eric Musselman led the Trojans to a subpar 17-18 overall record, 7-13 in conference play, good for 12th in the Big Ten. 

As for Head Coach Lindsay Gottlieb’s squad (31-4, 16-1 Big Ten), their move to a new conference didn’t impact their usual success, winning the Big Ten regular season championship and reaching the Elite Eight for the second straight season.

Despite varying degrees of success last season, both programs have high expectations and are looking to make a statement in their nonconference games. With just over two months to go before the season begins in November, here’s a look at some noteworthy games on the 2025-26 nonconference schedule for each team.

Men’s Basketball

Nov. 9: Manhattan
The Trojans’ game against the Manhattan Jaspers at home on Nov. 9 will be a new one for them. Never before have they faced off against Manhattan University, a recently revitalized team with second-year Head Coach John Gallagher at the helm.

Prior to Gallagher’s arrival, the Jaspers had endured eight losing seasons in both conference and overall play from 2016 to 2024, but went 17-14 overall and 12-8 in conference play last year. They did so largely off the backs of a very solid core of players, though they lost several key components to the transfer portal in the offseason. 

Although not as high-stakes as later games in the season, the inaugural matchup against the Jaspers is a fun novelty, and it will be interesting to see how USC fights against Manhattan’s momentum from last season.

Dec. 9: University of San Diego

For all four years of his student-athlete experience, Musselman was a University of San Diego Torero. On Dec. 9, in the Toreros’ Jenny Craig Pavilion, he will face off against his alma mater for the first time. 

The Toreros went 6-27 overall and 2-16 in conference play last year, good for their second-worst win percentage of all time and last place in the West Coast Conference. USC is 6-6 all-time against San Diego, so this is a game the Trojans can’t afford to lose — especially on the historical front. 

Dec. 14: Washington State

The history runs deep between the Trojans and the Toreros because of Musselman, but it runs much deeper between USC and the Washington State Cougars. 

From 1922 until last year, the Trojans and Cougars played together in the Pac-12, facing off a total of 132 times. USC is the expected favorite in this Dec. 14 home contest, holding both the all-time series lead of 82-50 and the 13-3 series lead since 2016. 

The Cougars are two years removed from their best season in recent memory, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament and finishing in the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 2008. Second-year Head Coach David Riley is now tasked with the challenge of returning to that level, which has been made even harder with the departure of many seniors from last season. There is no telling how Riley will lead the Cougars against a former conference brother now that he has a year under his belt.

Women’s Basketball

Nov. 15: South Carolina

If one thought that USC’s rebirth under Gottlieb was a return to glory, South Carolina has been creating its own glory days in real time. Under Head Coach Dawn Staley’s tenure, the other SC has become, arguably, the preeminent program in modern women’s college basketball over the past decade. 

Both Gottlieb and Staley have spoken about their respect and admiration for each other and their respective programs, but also about the ability to prove who really is the real SC. The inaugural “The Real SC” event — and the first time that these teams have faced off since 2014 — will take place at Crypto.com Arena in Downtown Los Angeles on Nov. 15. 

Nov. 21: Notre Dame

The Trojans only lost two of their 28 regular-season games last year. One was a surprising upset from a middle-of-the-pack Iowa Hawkeyes team, while the other was a beatdown at the hands of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 

At the heart of this year’s squad is junior guard Hannah Hidalgo, who has managed the highest steal rate in the ACC for both years of her college career. USC, however, is very lucky that graduate guard and Hidalgo’s partner in crime, Olivia Miles, decided to transfer to TCU: In last year’s meetup, Miles had 20 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. 

The Trojans will play the Fighting Irish in South Bend on Nov. 21 — a great litmus test of this Trojan team’s resilience, especially if junior guard JuJu Watkins remains unavailable.

Dec. 13: UConn

Paige Bueckers’ departure for the WNBA doesn’t mean last year’s national champion University of Connecticut will be any less dangerous this year. And, if there is any team circling their game against the Huskies on their schedule, it’s USC. 

For two years running, the Huskies have knocked historically great USC teams out of the NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight, creating a basketball vendetta for the Trojans. USC’s performance in Dec. 13’s grudge match at Galen Center will be a critical test of the team’s status as a championship contender.