USC basketball is facing a harsh blow in the transfer portal. The Trojans are having a trying first year under head coach Eric Musselman and in the Big Ten. This past season's team went 17-18 and 7-13 in its new conference. Musselman is picking up steam in the transfer portal and recently landed Maryland star Rodney Rice. However, the Trojans received some bad news on Tuesday.

According to USC beat writer for the LA Times, Ryan Kartje, Desmond Claude, the team's leading scorer last season, is entering the transfer portal. The 15.8 points per game scorer put his name in the portal just a few hours before it closed. Claude has one more year of eligibility remaining as he moves on from Musselman's program.

USC basketball should be on an upward trend based on its coach's track record

USC coach Eric Musselman cheers his team during the first half against Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena Saturday, March 1, 20
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Eric Musselman was a very encouraging hire last offseason for a program that has significant upside. The former Arkansas head coach had a successful tenure in Fayetteville. Under Musselman, the Razorbacks made it to two straight Elite Eights and three straight Sweet 16s in a five-year window. Prior to that stint, the Trojans' head coach led Nevada to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances and a Sweet 16. The 60-year-old, therefore, is a very accomplished coach on the college level and deserves some time to rebuild this program.

So far, the Trojans have brought in the eleventh-ranked transfer portal class. Along with Rice, some headline additions include Virginia forward Jacob Cofie and Utah forward Ezra Ausar. The program is also adding five-star recruit Alijah Arenas, the son of three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas. USC basketball is set to have an athletic, long team, similar to the ones Musselman had with the Razorbacks. Still, it's going to be a more challenging climb up the Big Ten Conference.

Several teams, including Purdue, Michigan, and UCLA, are projected to be in the top ten of ESPN's way-too-early rankings. This conference is significantly stronger than the Pac-12 was towards the end of USC basketball's time there, and there will be very few guaranteed wins on the Trojans' schedule. However, there are plenty of reasons for Trojan fans to have hope going forward. This program is not that far removed from an Elite Eight appearance under former head coach Andy Enfield. While Enfield was an accomplished head coach, Musselman gives USC basketball a higher upside, especially in this new era of the transfer portal and NIL.