Adonis Ratliff Scores 25 in Debut as No. 21 USC Routs Milwaukee 95-63

Theo Ratliff spent 16 years in the NBA swatting shots. On Monday night at Galen Center, his twin sons introduced themselves to college basketball with a combined 39 points and seven blocks, and No. 21 USC turned its season opener into a 95-63 demolition of Milwaukee.

Adonis Ratliff scored 25 in his college debut, going 7-of-10 from the field and 5-of-7 from three. Darius Ratliff added 14 points and five blocks. Alijah Arenas poured in 21 with a career-high eight rebounds, and Rodney Rice, back on the floor for the first time since a shoulder injury ended his 2025-26 season in November, handed out nine assists. The Trojans never trailed, shot 56.9 percent and are 1-0. Milwaukee is 0-1.

Twins, Instantly

Debuts are supposed to be shaky. Nobody told Adonis Ratliff. The freshman scored from everywhere: five threes, a couple of finishes inside, and 6-of-8 at the line, with the poise of a third-year starter. Add six rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in 24 minutes, and it was one of the most complete opening nights a USC freshman has had in a long time. According to USC Athletics, it was the most points by a Trojans freshman in a debut since O.J. Mayo scored 32 in 2007. That is a serious name to share a sentence with.

Eric Musselman was not surprised. "When Adonis gets his feet set, he's as good a shooter as I've ever seen since I've been here," the USC coach said. Musselman added that NBA scouts who come through practice notice how unusual that shooting is for a player of Adonis's size, and the 5-of-7 night from deep backed that up. A long freshman who can space the floor and protect the rim is a matchup problem in any conference, and the Big Ten is about to find that out.

Darius was the quieter twin on the scoreboard and the louder one at the rim. Five blocks in a debut is the most by a USC freshman since Onyeka Okongwu had eight in 2019, and Darius also showed some feel as a passer, dropping a no-look feed to Arenas early in the second half that pushed the lead to 50-33 with 17:36 left. "My first college experience was definitely eye-opening," Darius said afterward, per the school's official recap (opens in a new tab). Milwaukee probably found it eye-opening too.

A Fast Start, Then a Choke Hold

USC set the tone quickly. The Trojans were up 10-5 about five minutes in, then a 9-2 burst stretched the lead to 12 with 11:32 left in the half. Milwaukee could not hold onto the ball long enough to answer. The Panthers turned it over nine times before halftime, six of them in a span of 5:10, and USC kept running out for easy looks. The Trojans shot 15-of-28 in the first half, led by as many as 20 and took a 46-29 lead into the locker room.

The second half is where the game stopped being a game. Midway through the half, USC ripped off a 15-0 run and kept Milwaukee off the scoreboard for more than seven minutes. By the time it ended, the lead had swollen to 36. The Trojans shot 18-of-30 after halftime and 8-of-13 from three, which is the kind of efficiency that turns a comfortable win into a highlight package.

Milwaukee also took a painful hit in that stretch. Guard John Lovelace Jr. landed awkwardly on a layup attempt in the second half and hurt his left leg. Lovelace walked off with an athletic trainer and did not return, the kind of early-season injury that matters a lot more to a Horizon League roster than a 32-point final.

Arenas, Healthy and Hungry

Arenas did not need the spotlight to make his mark. He went 9-of-14 from the field, hit a three, made both free throws, and grabbed eight rebounds, four on the offensive glass. Those are the plays of a guard who wants to prove something, and Arenas made it clear afterward that simply having a normal season is a big deal. "It's a blessing that I get to have a full season this year," Arenas said.

Rice was the other comeback story. Playing for the first time since November 2025, Rice scored 15 on 4-of-10 shooting, made 3 of 6 threes, went 4-for-4 at the line and added nine assists and six rebounds in 32 minutes. Four turnovers show some rust, but the playmaking was there from the start. Musselman liked the passing but wanted a little more hunting early. "I thought in the first half he was almost a little too unselfish. I don't think he really looked to score," Musselman said, before adding that the nine assists "were huge, especially with the way that he can score the basketball." Rice found a more aggressive gear after halftime, including a three off the bounce, and that balance is exactly what this lineup needs from its lead guard. KJ Lewis gave USC 10 efficient points off the bench on 4-of-5 shooting.

The best number in the box score might be the 25 assists on 33 made field goals. USC moved the ball like a team that had been playing together for years, not one breaking in two freshmen in the starting lineup. "Our chemistry has been really good. They're playing off each other," Musselman said.

By the Numbers

The shooting gap was enormous. USC finished 33-of-58 from the field and 12-of-22 from three, 54.5 percent from deep. Milwaukee went 23-of-62, 37.1 percent, and 6-of-23 from three. The Trojans also won the hidden categories: 40-30 in the paint, 19-13 in points off turnovers, 16-5 on the fast break and 14-10 in second-chance points. They outrebounded the Panthers 37-31.

The defense was the real headline. USC forced 17 turnovers and collected 12 steals, and nine different Trojans recorded at least one. Add seven blocks, five from Darius Ratliff, and Milwaukee spent most of the night guessing. The one area where the Panthers won was bench scoring, 31-18, mostly because USC's starters did nearly all the damage, 77 of the 95 points.

Amare Hereford led Milwaukee with 14 points off the bench, Tre Norman scored 13 and Isaiah Dorceus added 10. The Panthers were never out of effort, but they were badly outsized, and every turnover handed an athletic USC roster another chance to run.

What It Means

For USC, this was Musselman's third straight season-opening win in Los Angeles and the most points his Trojans have scored in a season debut. More importantly, it was a preview of a very different team than the one that finished last season. The Ratliff twins look ready right now. Arenas looks healthy. Rice gives the offense a real organizer. And highly touted freshman Christian Collins did not even play, which means this rotation still has another piece to fit in.

The question marks are not big ones yet. Fourteen turnovers is a few too many for a game this lopsided, and the bench contributed only 18 points. The Big Ten will test the depth soon enough, and a 32-point win over a mid-major is only a starting point.

For Milwaukee, the concern is Lovelace's health and the ball security. Seventeen turnovers against a Big Ten athlete pool is survivable; 17 against Horizon League teams that pressure would be a problem. The Panthers were scheduled to visit Santa Clara on Wednesday, Nov. 4, continuing a demanding nonconference road stretch.

USC heads to the Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic in Stateline, Nevada, to face Wichita State on Sunday, Nov. 8.

Box score: USC Athletics official box score (opens in a new tab).

Sources: USC Athletics, Associated Press. More men's college basketball coverage on Undrafted.

USC fans came to Galen Center for a season opener and left talking about a family. The Ratliffs gave the Trojans length, scoring and rim protection in one night, and if that is the floor, Musselman has a team that can push for a lot more than a top-25 ranking.

Photo: John McGillen/USC Athletics.