In his freshman season, USC won 12 games. He averaged 12.1 points and 4.5 assists per game but missed the end of the season with a shoulder injury. McLaughlin led USC to the NCAA Tournament in 2016, and averaged 13.4 points per game on 47 percent shooting. He led the team back to the NCAA tournament in 2017, posting 12.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. Coming into his senior year, he was named to the preseason Bob Cousy Award Watchlist. As a senior at USC, McLaughlin averaged 12.8 points, 7.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 35.3 minutes per game, shooting 39.7 percent from behind the arc. He was a First Team All-Pac-12 selection. McLaughlin was named to the All-District IX Team by the USBWA and First Team All-District 20 by the NABC. His assists per game was the third highest in Division I, and McLaughlin was the third Pac-12 player ever to record more than 600 assists and 1,600 points over a career.
