USC’s Alijah Arenas in doubt for Illinois showdown with surprise illness

The USC Trojans are set to take on the No. 10 Illinois Fighting Illini on Wednesday night. It’s a massive Big Ten matchup, as the Trojans have a chance to pull off a major upset. Unfortunately, it sounds like the team is likely going to be without Alijah Arenas.

Reports indicate that the true freshman shooting guard is a game-time decision after falling to a surprise illness, according to Ryan Kartje of the L.A. Times. Kartje hints that even if Arenas does play, there is no telling how much time he would actually play due to being sick.

“Star USC freshman Alijah Arenas is sick and will be a game-time decision for tonight’s critical home matchup vs. Illinois, a source tells L.A. Times. Arenas has been on a tear over his last three games. Even if he plays, it’s unclear how depleted he’ll be physically.”

Arenas has fought through a ton of adversity in the past year. He was involved in a serious car crash in April 2025 that put him in a coma. After recovering from the scary incident and getting back to playing basketball, Alijah Arenas then suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee. The injury occurred just two weeks after he was medically cleared to play again.

When healthy, Arenas has proven to be a reliable option on the floor for USC. In the seven games he has played, he is averaging 15.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest while shooting 34.7% from the floor and 25.0% from beyond the three-point line.

Alijah Arenas is the son of former NBA point guard Gilbert Arenas. The USC star is considered one of the top prospects in college basketball right now. Hopefully, whatever illness he is dealing with is not serious, and he can return to action sooner, rather than later.

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