On Monday night, USC men’s basketball officially tipped off its 2025-2026 season. The Trojans rolled to a 1-0 start to the year, easily handling Cal Poly at home 94-64.
What did we learn from the game? Here are a few key takeaways:
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Taking care of business
Most importantly, the Trojans easily handled an inferior opponent. They avoided what Jon Rothstein would call “the epitome of brutality.”
Cofie leads the way
Leading the scoring for USC was Virginia transfer Jacob Cofie, who finished with 23 points and ten rebounds. According to Trojans Wire’s advanced analytics, Cofie has now recorded a double-double in 100% of his games as a Trojan.
Five Trojans in double figures
Cofie was not the only USC play to finish in double figures. Also eclipsing the mark were were Maryland transfer Rodney Rice and Utah transfer Ezra Ausar with 21 points each, Auburn transfer Chad Baker-Mazara with 12, and Samford transfer Jaden Brownell with 10.
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Spreading the minutes
Head coach Eric Musselman has a noted history of having his starters play nearly the entire game. So it was certainly a notable development that Rice was the only Trojan to play more than 20 minutes.
Up next
The Trojans will return to Galen Center on Sunday afternoon when they host Manhattan at 3 p.m. Pacific time. In the storied sports history between Los Angeles and New York, this may very well be the biggest showdown of them all.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC men’s basketball is just getting started in 2025 — key takeaways
