No. 24 USC Men's Basketball Prepares For No. 9 Michigan State

Monday, January 5

East Lansing, Mich.

5:30 p.m.

USC

Michigan State

Kam Woods dribbling up the court at Michigan

Photo by: Jack Whyte

No. 24 USC Men's Basketball Prepares For No. 9 Michigan State

January 04, 2026 | Men's Basketball

Game Notes (PDF)

This will be the ninth meeting between these two teams.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 24 USC Men's Basketball ((12-2, 1-2 Big Ten) remained in the state of Michigan as they prepare to take on another top 10 opponent in No. 9 Michigan State on Monday, Jan. 5. USC is 4-4 all time against the Spartans, defeating them in the Galen Center last season.

WHEREABOUTS
Game #15 at Michigan State
Monday, Jan. 5, 2026
Breslin Center | East Lansing, Mich.
TV: FS1

LAST TIME OUT
The Trojans hit the floor at the Crisler Center to take on No. 2 Michigan. They struggled against one of the best teams in the NCAA, committing 21 turnovers and shooting at 34.5% from the field. Meanwhile, the Wolverines made 47.7% of their shots, scoring 24 points off USC's 21 turnovers and outrebounding the Trojans 40-35. Despite offensive struggles, the Trojans saw three players finish with double-digit points: Jaden Brownell (16), Ezra Ausar (15) and Chad Baker-Mazara (12). USC's bench accounted for half of the team's 66 points, while nine different Trojans scored.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS

No. 9 Michigan State is currently 1-2 in Big Ten play, dropping a close game to Nebraska on Friday, Jan. 2, with a score of 58-56. The Spartans were led by Jaxon Kohler, who finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Cornhuskers.
As a team, the Spartans are ranked in the top 15 in the NCAA in rebound margin (13.8), assists per game (19.6) and rebounds per game (43.0).
Kohler, Jeremy Fears Jr. and Coen Carr have been leading the offense for Michigan State this season. Kohler is averaging 14.1 points per game, while Fears and Carr are averaging 11.7 and 11.4 points per game, respectively.
Fears and Kohler also rank highly in the NCAA in numerous categories. Kohler is fourth in the NCAA for double-doubles and in the top 25 in rebounds, defensive rebounds and offensive rebounds per game. Fears, on the other hand, is one of the best passers in the NCAA, ranking second in the NCAA in assists per game and 12th in assist-to-turnover ratio.
The Spartans are coached by Tom Izzo, who is in his 31st season with the program. He boasts an overall record of 749-304, ranking eighth in the NCAA in total wins amongst active Division I coaches.

ONE-TWO PUNCH
Chad Baker-Mazara and Ezra Ausar are a duo unlike any other in recent USC history. Since at least the 2005-06 season, there has not been another duo to score over 500 points besides Baker-Mazara and Ausar. These two both rank in the top 10 in the Big Ten in points, as Baker-Mazara is third (285) and Ausar comes in at eighth (237).

DEFENDING THE ARC
USC is one of the best teams at defending from beyond the arc. They are 14th in the BartTorvik.com rankings in this category, holding their opponents to 28.6% from that range. This stat is also good enough to rank in the 96th percentile on CBB Analytics.

RESUME CHECK
USC has one of the best resumes so far this season, according to EvanMiya.com. The Trojans' resume quality ranks 16th in the NCAA and fifth in the Big Ten. The Trojans are also 16th in win quality.

Of all teams in the NCAA, USC ranks 17th with +2.2 wins above bubble (WAB), according to Bart Torvik. They are also 5-2 against Quad 1 and 2 teams, which is the 13th-best record in that category according to Bart Torvik. The Trojans are currently a 6-seed across the 46 brackets compiled on Bracket Matrix.