USC Men's Basketball Kicks Off Three-Game Homestand

LOS ANGELES — The No. 21 USC Trojans Men's Basketball team has had a successful start to their 2026-27 season. With wins over the Milwaukee Panthers in the season opener and back-to-back road wins against the Wichita State Shockers and California Golden Bears, the Trojans head into a three-game homestand on Sunday with a perfect 3-0 record. 

USC will host the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions to start their three-game homestand at the Galen Center — the first time that the two programs meet. 

Their next game will come on Thursday against the Tarleton State Texans, before closing out the three-game slew on Sunday against Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns. 

Last time out, the Trojans came away with a tough 77-65 win over Cal. That win marked their first win over a non-conference Power-5 opponent since 2017. 

Alijah Arenas led the way offensively with 19 points, and four different Trojans landed in double digits. Jacob Cofie's double-double (12 points, 15 rebounds), along with KJ Lewis' 16 points off the bench, helped USC edge to their third straight win. 

Thus far, Arenas and Rodney Rice have been the formidable one-two punch in the early season. The sophomore guard is the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, averaging 23.3 points per game in the two-game road trip. 

His 23.3 points per game rank him 10th in the nation and he tops the Big Ten. 

Rice has been right behind his teammate,  averaging 21.7 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 7.0 assists through the first three games of the season. His 32 points in the win against Wichita State are his career-high. 

He also recorded 17 made free throws, tying Onyeka Okongwu's 17 made against the Pepperdine Waves back in 2019.  

Speaking of the win against the Shockers, Arenas and Rice's 30-plus point performance marked just the second time in program history a pair of Trojans have scored 30 points or more in a game. 

The last time the Trojans achieved this feat was in an overtime loss against the Colorado Buffaloes in 2015. 

Head coach Eric Musselman has always started his seasons on a positive note. Musselman has started 10 consecutive seasons 3-0, and if the Trojans come away with the win on Sunday, it'll mark the eighth time his teams have started 4-0 in the last 11 years. 

Looking even further ahead to the season, the Trojans have 16 more road games to play, including seven non-conference road games.