Big Ten Basketball: Iowa rises, Michigan State falls in updated WTE 2024-25 rankings

11. USC Trojans

There truly isn’t a team that’s going to be more debated in the Big Ten this offseason than newcomer USC, who has both a new head coach (Eric Musselman), as well as an entire new team. No Isaiah Collier, no Bronny James, and no Boogie Ellis. But could this new cast be even better?

In the backcourt, Bryce Pope (UC San Diego) and Clark Slachert (Penn) both averaged 18 ppg and are the ball-handlers on the roster. Desmond Claude averaged 16.6 ppg at Xavier and is the one power conference transfer most likely to succeed at the Big Ten level. Wings Saint Thomas and Chibuzo Agbo have both versatility and two-way potential as well.

In the frontcourt, Matt Knowling, Rashaun Agee, and Terrence Williams are all quality forwards, while Joshua Cohen comes from UMass as a quality offensive option at center. There’s also a couple of four-star wing prospects (Jalen Shelley and Isaiah Elohim) who could be key long-term options or could get more minutes than expected if some of the other transfers struggle.

For USC to be good enough to compete in the Big Ten, they will need at least six of these transfers to “work out”. If not, expect there to be a lot of growing pains for the new league member.