Two Role Players USC, Eric Musselman Will Lean on Next Season
The future is bright for the USC Trojans men's basketball program under third-year coach Eric Musselman. Despite missing out on the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season, fans are looking to the 2026-27 college basketball season with optimism about the Trojans potential as an underrated Big Ten team.
One of the reasons for that optimism is the talent that Musselman acquired in the transfer portal this offseason for the Trojans. For the second consecutive offseason, Musselman took an aggressive approach to improve USC's roster through the transfer portal.
The Trojans added six notable transfer commits that fans hope will play a role in the team making it to an expanded 76-team NCAA Tournament and the potential for even more if they qualify for March Madness.
USC's 2026 transfer portal class is ranked No. 21 nationally and third in the Big Ten. The Indiana Hoosiers (No. 4) and defending national champions, the Michigan Wolverines (No. 9), are the two Big Ten teams with better transfer classes, per 247Sports.
Among the six transfer portal commits for the Trojans, here are the two players who could play the biggest role during the 2026-27 college basketball season.
Eric Reibe
One of the biggest weaknesses of USC's roster over the last few seasons has been its lack of perimeter defense and rim protection. While the addition of former Virginia forward Jacob Cofie helped strengthen their perimeter defense last season, averaging 9.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, there are still some holes on USC's roster.
The Trojans are hopeful that former UConn center Eric Reibe can be that missing piece, as his length and size could help take USC's defense a step forward. The 7-foot-1 center in his freshman season with the national runner-up Huskies averaged 5.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game.
Reibe looks to bring his championship experience with the Huskies to a USC team that looks to make the tournament and potentially set itself up for a run in Musselman's third season.
KJ Lewis
Having a quality backcourt is one of the keys to a college basketball team competing for a championship. Last season, injuries to guard Rodney Rice and other key guards for the Trojans limited their backcourt depth and were among the major reasons USC fell short of reaching the tournament, going 18-14 overall and 7-13 in Big Ten play.
To strengthen their backcourt depth, the Trojans brought in one of the top guards from the Big East in former Georgetown Hoyas guard KJ Lewis. Last season with the Hoyas, Lewis led Georgetown in scoring, averaging 14.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
With Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas both set to return next season for USC, Lewis, along with former Colgate guard Jalen Cox, will be key pieces for the Trojans. Last season with Colgate, Cox was among the Raiders' leading scorers, averaging 17.9 points, 5.3 assists, and 5.2 rebounds per game.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/usc as Two Role Players USC, Eric Musselman Will Lean on Next Season.
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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 8:56 AM.