USC basketball: Junior transfer J.T. Terrell could be key for Trojans

As the USC Trojans men's basketball team gets ready for their upcoming season, one of their most important players to their success could be Junior transfer JT Terrell, according to the Daily Trojan.

Terrell cracked CBS Sports' top 100 college basketball players at No. 98, and brings a strong work ethic and athleticism to an already talented Trojans squad. Nevertheless, the Daily Trojans' Alex Schultz sees two reasons why Terrell could be a big factor this season:

One, USC had its worst-ever season in terms of win-loss percentage in 2011-12. Again, poor seasons are not out of the norm for the men's team. But last year was truly a train wreck, which has managed to derail expectations for this roster to monumentally low levels among casual hoops fans.

And second of all, and perhaps most importantly, Terrell is a transfer student who most recently played at the junior college level and very few onlookers know what to expect from the virtually unknown guard, who began his college career at Wake Forest.

The Trojans begin their season on Friday, Nov. 9 from the Galen Center against the Coppin State Eagles.