Big Ten Basketball: Preseason Big Ten Power Rankings entering 2025-26 season

Breaking down where each team in the Big Ten stands as the college basketball season nears
Trey Kauffman-Renn and the Purdue Boilermakers are poised to be one of the top teams in the Big Ten entering the 2025-26 season.
Trey Kauffman-Renn and the Purdue Boilermakers are poised to be one of the top teams in the Big Ten entering the 2025-26 season. | Mitchell Layton/GettyImages
7 of 15

11. USC Trojans

Nobody in college basketball is more comfortable operating with constant roster turnover than Eric Musselman. That will be the case again at USC this season, with the Trojans set to return just 14.1% of last year’s minutes.

However, the year two Eric Musselman bump should be dutifully noted. He took Nevada to the NCAA Tournament and Arkansas to the Elite Eight -- all in his second year at the helm.

Improvement is expected this season, but the Trojans’ outlook took a hit when five-star shooting guard Alijah Arenas suffered a knee injury in late July, expected to miss 6-8 months, according to ESPN.

Despite this, a fully healthy season from Terrance Williams II, in addition to notable transfers Chad Baker-Mazara (Auburn) and sharpshooter Rodney Rice (Maryland), gives USC plenty of much-needed experience to remain an NCAA Tournament-caliber squad in the Big Ten in 2025-26.