After a brief stint in the top 25 of the AP Poll earlier this month, USC men’s basketball dropped out of the rankings after an upset loss to Washington. Following a strong finish to nonconference play, however, the Trojans are back in the top 25, coming in at No. 24 in the latest poll.
After head coach Eric Musselman called on voters to rank the Trojans following a victory over Washington State earlier this month, USC was the first team outside of the top 25 in last week’s poll. With Auburn and St. John’s losing this past week, however, two additional spots in the top 25 opened up, making room for Musselman’s team.
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The Trojans wrapped up nonconference play with a victory over Division III UC Santa Cruz on Sunday. USC went a perfect 11-0 against nonconference opponents on the season. Eric Musselman’s team sits at 1-1 in Big Ten play, having beaten Oregon on the road in addition to the Washington loss.
After a week off, USC will resume Big Ten play in early January with a pair of road games against top ten opponents. The Trojans will face No. 2 Michigan in Ann Arbor, before traveling to East Lansing to face No. 9 Michigan State. After beating up on a relatively soft nonconference slate, it will be a great opportunity for USC to test itself against elite competition.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC men’s basketball ranked No. 24 in latest AP Poll
