Intuit Dome matchup to take place between USC and Illinois State this year

The Women of Troy will not be the only USC basketball team playing in a professional arena once the season starts. College hoops analyst Rocco Miller shared on X that USC and Illinois State will play against each other on November 14 for a non-conference matchup.

Increasingly, college basketball programs have shown a willingness to set up unique opportunities and environments for their players to compete in. This upcoming game between the Big Ten side and the Missouri Valley Conference opponent is scheduled to take place at the Intuit Dome.

For most, if not all, Division I players, the goal is to make it as a pro. Being able to play a college game in an NBA arena and gain some experience in a professional setting is something that the players will undoubtedly look forward to.

By the same token, it is a game just like any other. That being said, it is difficult to completely dismiss the gravity and magnitude of being able to change the usual game-day environment.

Good, early test for USC

For coach Eric Musselman, this is a chance to see how this year's roster will be able to handle a different type of pressure and the need to adapt. While the focus and approach may be very similar or identical, human nature takes over at a certain point. In such scenarios, for example, players can often feel the need to test their range from what would be the NBA three-point line, even though, believe it or not, making the longer shot from distance counts just as much as the standard college three-pointer in such a circumstance.

Leaving that aspect aside for the time being, it is a neat experience and one that all on the roster will appreciate. Particularly for a USC team that has postseason ambitions in mind, this can be a good early test to see how this squad reacts to being in a fairly significant, in terms of magnitude, neutral-court environment.