After several releases for preseason and non-conference games over the past month, USC men’s basketball’s non-conference slate is now officially set. On Monday, men’s basketball released its early-season schedule for 2026 before Big Ten play tips off. 

With a revamped roster bringing back many key contributors from last season’s campaign, the Trojans will look to find their footing early against a schedule featuring 12 regular-season non-conference matchups and three preseason exhibition games in October. 

Following a recently announced exhibition tilt with North Carolina in Greensboro on Oct. 9, the Trojans will make the short trip south to face UC San Diego and San Diego State University on Oct. 17 and Oct. 23, respectively.

USC’s regular season begins Nov. 2 at Galen Center against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and includes showdowns against fellow Power Four programs UC Berkeley, South Carolina and Texas Tech. 

On Nov. 8, the Trojans will play Wichita State University in the first-ever Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic in Stateline, Nevada, before a Nov. 11 road showdown with Cal in the squads’ second contest since leaving the Pac-12.

After USC’s victory in last year’s Southwest Maui Invitational, Head Coach Eric Musselman’s team won’t have to travel as far for this season’s late-November non-conference tournament. South Carolina, along with Utah State University, await the Trojans at the Acrisure Series in Palm Desert around Thanksgiving break. 

As the calendar flips to December, USC takes on the University of San Diego for the second consecutive season. In their final road game before conference play, the Trojans head to Fort Worth for the USLBM Coast-to-Coast Challenge against Texas Tech, in what should be a valuable mid-season litmus test for USC after the Red Raiders’ fourth-place finish in the Big 12 last year. 

The Trojans then have two last chances, versus Jacksonville University and Western Michigan University, to fine-tune before the Big Ten season heats up in early January. 

While USC now knows its non-conference schedule and which Big Ten opponents it will face in 2027, the conference dates have yet to be revealed and likely won’t be announced until mid-September. 

Until then, with a pressure-packed and highly anticipated year looming, the Trojans will begin preparations for their marquee preseason opener against the Tar Heels.