The 2023-2024 college basketball season will be fascinating. In the Pac-12 Conference, USC will get a stiff challenge from the Colorado Buffaloes with projeted NBA lottery pick Cody Williams on the roster in Boulder. Arizona will be formidable as well. However, the Trojans should be one of the best teams in the Pac-12 and the United States with Boogie Ellis returning, projected 2024 lottery pick Isaiah Collier on board, and Bronny James also in the fold.
One question worth asking: How does USC stack up against the Big Ten teams it will compete against in December of 2024 and the winter of 2025? Gary Parrish of CBS Sports offered his summer (post-NBA draft) top 25 rankings list.
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.
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