Rauf Report: The Swing Players Who Could Decide the 2026-27 Season

Every college basketball season has its stars, the guys whose names pop up on preseason watch lists and whose faces dominate March highlight reels. But to figure out which teams overachieve, you have to look past the obvious. All-Americans don’t just decide championships and deep runs — they’re decided by the “swing players.”

A swing player isn’t always the leading scorer or the most talented pro prospect. They’re the player whose impact tilts a team’s entire season one way or another—counting on an underclassman to be your best two-way player? That’s a swing player. Need a transfer to run the offense because nobody else on the roster can? That’s a swing player. They’re the players who, if they hit, make their team look like a contender. If they don’t, everyone else scrambles to cover the gap.

In short: stars set the ceiling, but swing players decide whether a team can actually reach it.

So who will have that “swing” impact this season? Here are five worth watching.

Alijah Arenas, USC

USC hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2023, and its first two Big Ten seasons ended without a bid. Eric Musselman responded this offseason by assembling the most talented roster he’s had in Los Angeles—and hoping the most important piece proves that last February wasn’t a fluke.