USC leans on firepower, not schedule, to top South Carolina

The sharpest gap between these two unbeaten teams has nothing to do with scoring. South Carolina carries the 3rd-toughest schedule in Division I by Versus's measure, while USC sits all the way down at 177th, a gulf of 174 spots that shapes how much weight to put on either team's perfect record.

That hasn't stopped Versus from making USC the stronger side in this one. The Trojans carry an A+ grade in every major category, have won all three of their games this season by 20 points or more, and are one of only 19 teams nationally graded in the top 25 on both ends of the floor. They've also climbed five places since the preseason rankings. Versus projects a 76-67 result in USC's favor, with the Trojans given a 73 percent chance to win.

South Carolina arrives having lost just 8 of its last 121 games across the 2023 through 2026 seasons and reached No. 1 this season, its best mark since 2024. In their most recent meeting, in March 2026, South Carolina beat USC 101-61. This meeting is not a conference game and will be played at a neutral site in Greenville, South Carolina, so neither team will have a home advantage.