USC Basketball: Writer Speculates Where Trojans Will Rank During First Big Ten Season
Something that makes the University of Southern California's 2023 season even more special is that it will be the final one that they play while still being a part of the Pac-12 conference. Once the 2024-2025 season rolls around, they will have officially made the move to the Big 10 conference and history will be made. A lot of factors went into this move and seeing how USC plays in the heart of Los Angeles, one of the biggest markets in the world, and also continue to bring some of the top talent into their program, it makes a lot of sense.
But this also means that USC will be facing off against new competition and their approach to each season will have to change as they adjust to a whole new conference. They are in the midst of getting ready for one of their biggest seasons ever with the likes of Isaiah Collier and Bronny James leading the way as freshman.
However, the question now becomes: Where will the Trojans place among the rest of the Big 10 teams when they do make the move? Trojans Wire's Matt Zemek attempted to answer this and he named a couple of schools that likely will give them trouble.
"What emerges in the Big Ten? Purdue is No. 2, with big man Zach Edey coming back for one more year. However, when USC joins the Big Ten next year, Edey will be gone. He will go to the NBA. The true Big Ten stalwart, the program with Final Four chops and an ability to revive itself every few years, is Michigan State. The Spartans are No. 5 in Parrish’s rankings. Those are the only two Big Ten teams ranked ahead of where USC (No. 12) sits in Parrish’s offseason rankings. Given that Purdue will likely regress next year without Edey, it is reasonable to claim that Michigan State might be the only Big Ten team with Final Four aspirations in the 2024-2025 season, USC’s first in Big Ten basketball."
(Via Trojans Wire)
By no means will it be easy but let's see how USC is able to shape up in their final year as a part of the Pac-12!
