USC Basketball: Trojans Ascend In First AP Power Rankings Of Season

Only the beginning.

After two solid, double-digit wins to start the season, your USC Trojans find themselves ranked 16th in the nation this week by the Associated Press, after starting out the season (prior to any non-exhibition games) ranked 21st. 

moving on up 📈 pic.twitter.com/pIvW6HWUgg

— USC Men's Basketball (@USC_Hoops) November 13, 2023

USC came away with a 13-point victory against Kansas State to start the season, and followed that up with 26-point victory against Cal State Bakersfield. 

The addition of five-star recruit Isaiah Collier looks like a slam dunk of a move, as the offense is flowing much smoother as it now features another shot creator, an elite tempo-pusher, and one of the nation's top passers. 

The rest of the group has also looked good, as transfer DJ Rodman is a seamless fit alongside the core of Collier, and returning perimeter pieces Boogie Ellis and Kobe Johnson. 

The Trojans already have a more impressive win than most teams, as a Power Five program opening their season against a team that made the Elite Eight last year (Kansas State) is highly unusual. 

For example, Duke played Dartmouth, UConn played Northern Arizona, and Kansas played North Carolina Central. Thus, USC has already been battle-tested quite a bit more than these other teams, making their ranking all the more impressive (and potentially too low). 

USC takes on UC Irvine on Tuesday, and a win there should further boost their ranking going into the end of the month. 

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