5 things to watch as USC men's basketball faces No. 9 Michigan State

1 week ago 2

The USC men's basketball team faced a major reality check on Friday when the Trojans were blown out 96-66 by Michigan. USC may have surpassed preseason expectations with a 12-1 record through its first 13 games, but that didn't magically turn the Trojans into national title contenders. To be the best you have to beat the best -- and the Trojans couldn't prove that they are even close to being capable of that against the Wolverines. It was tough for USC fans to watch.

Another opportunity

The fortunate thing is the Trojans immediately have another opportunity to prove that they can compete with the best. USC plays another top 10 team, Michigan State, on Monday. On the road.

The unfortunate thing is that if the Trojans lose big again, it would serve as an even more firm reality check. And it would put another massive dent in all the momentum they built during non conference play. Whatever way you spin it, there's a lot on the line for the Trojans on Monday. It's as a close to a must-win game as it gets for an underdog in an early conference game.

With that in mind, here are five things to watch as the Trojans take on the Spartans on Monday in their second game of their first true road trip of the season:

Michigan State is looking for revenge after USC's upset win last year

It's the best win of the Eric Musselman era thus far. On February 1, 2025, unranked USC upset No. 7 Michigan State 70-64 at Galen Center.

That was almost an entirely different Trojan team compared to this year's squad. In fact, no one on this year's team played in that game, not even Terrance Williams II.

But Michigan State definitely hasn't forgotten. And the Spartans will be out for revenge not just for that, but for USC football's win against Michigan State earlier this season as well. A juggernaut team that also has a chip on its shoulder is a dangerous thing.

Can USC keep pace in the Big Ten standings?

The Trojans still have a nice 12-2 record after the Michigan loss on paper. Flirting with an AP Poll ranking has been nice. But both of their losses came against Big Ten teams; they are 1-2 in conference play. A loss to Michigan State would drop them to 1-3.

The Big Ten has a lot of talented teams this season that could compete for an NCAA tournament berth. If USC falls to the bottom of the conference standings, the Trojans' non conference record won't matter because there will be too many Big Ten teams earning bids ahead of them.

USC needs to be at least a middle-tier Big Ten team to make the NCAA tournament. If they lose Monday, they'll be securely at the bottom in the early going and have a big hole to climb out of. That's not a great spot to be in.

Can a guard step up and command the offense?

USC turned the ball over 21 times against Michigan, and the Wolverines scored 24 points off turnovers. That's why the Wolverines were able to blow out the Trojans. They dictated the pace and kept USC's offense out of sync all night long.

USC's primary ball handler, Chad Baker-Mazara, didn't have a great game. He scored only 12 points and was limited to only 23 minutes because of foul trouble. The Trojans' other main point guards, Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas, are sidelined due to injury.

Can Baker-Mazara bounce back and stabilize the Trojan offense against the Spartans as both a scorer and facilitator? If Baker-Mazara struggles again, can one of USC's backup guards step up? Taking care of the basketball and running an effective half court offense will be key to beating Michigan State.

Can USC replicate Nebraska's winning game plan?

In Michigan State's last game, the Spartans were upset by No. 13 Nebraska. The Cornhuskers won for a few very clear reasons.

The Cornhuskers did not win because they shut down Michigan State's star player, forward Jaxon Kohler. Kohler had a great game, scoring 19 points on 7-10 shooting.

But the rest of the Spartans shot 10-40 and 5-22 on three pointers. The Huskers also forced Michigan State to turn the ball over 19 times.

Seemingly, the Huskers let Kohler be and focused on shutting down everyone else. Could the Trojans also focus their efforts on playing tough perimeter defense? After the way the Michigan game went, the Trojans could sure use a game where they dictate the pace.

Is Jaden Brownell better against top opponents?

USC has played only five power conference teams this season: Seton Hall, Arizona State, Oregon, Washington and Michigan.

Jaden Brownell has had a big role in most of those games. He saw limited playing time against Seton Hall, but broke into the Trojans' rotation with a key 16 point performance against Arizona State in the Maui Invitational championship game. Brownell also had 11 points against Oregon, 8 points against Washington and 16 points against Michigan (6-10 shooting).

Brownell may be a transfer from Samford, a small Southern Conference school, but he seems as ready to meet the moment as anyone on the Trojans. Can he elevate his game again versus Michigan State?

I'll tell you what: the entire USC team could use a little bit of Brownell's underdog spirit as they try to beat the Spartans for the second straight year.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC men's basketball faces Michigan State at Breslin Center on Monday

Read Entire Article