5 things to watch as USC men's basketball takes on No. 2 Michigan

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The easy part of the USC men's basketball schedule is officially over. The Trojans kept their non conference schedule pretty manageable, with the Maui Invitational representing USC's only games against tough-ish opponents. Eric Musselman talked about the NCAA tournament implications of winning big against an easy strength of schedule, so there are certainly good intentions and logic behind it. But it's certainly interesting to contrast with USC women's basketball's philosophy of playing arguably the toughest non conference schedule in the country.

Big Ten gauntlet

The big question is going to be: despite playing mostly inferior opponents through their first 13 games, are the Trojans prepared to take on some of the top teams in the country? We are going to find that out very quickly. The Trojans take on No. 2 Michigan in their first Big Ten game. No more 30-point wins against AAC and Sun Belt opponents. It's time to see what the Trojans are really made of.

Here are five things to watch as the Trojans take on the Wolverines on Friday in their first Big Ten road game of the season:

Can the USC-Michigan rivalry translate to the court?

I think that, of all the Big Ten schools that USC has played in football thus far, Michigan seems like the most likely to become a new rival for the Trojans in their new conference. Someone we talk about in the same breath as schools like UCLA and Notre Dame.

The two teams have played each other twice already and both games have been hotly contested with plenty of off-field drama and comments from both teams and coaches. Both teams have famous fans driving the social media discourse and giving the matchups more meaning as well. And old USC nemesis Kyle Whittingham is now the head coach at Michigan.

Can the schools form a basketball rivalry as well? Given that both teams are ranked, this could be an epic game with emotions running high. USC and Michigan women's basketball are both ranked inside the Top 25 as well, so those games should be fantastic as well.

I think this has all the makings of an iconic rivalry between USC and Michigan across every sport and even academics. It's up to the athletes to bring the juice on Friday.

How will USC handle the grind of the next week?

This is USC's first true road trip of the season; they have to play three straight away games against Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota. The Wolverines and Spartans are both ranked inside the Top 10 of the AP Poll.

How will they handle such a grueling, challenging week? Hopefully they come out energized and not tired or flat.

Will Michigan look for revenge on Chad Baker-Mazara?

Chad Baker-Mazara is clearly USC's star player right now with Rodney Rice and Alijah Arenas out. Baker-Mazara will need to have a great game offensively against Michigan to give USC a chance to beat the Wolverines.

But Michigan will be very motivated to not let that happen. The Wolverines played Baker-Mazara and Auburn last season in the Sweet 16 and lost. Baker-Mazara didn't have a particularly great game, scoring only 6 points on 2-9 shooting, but he still represents a reminder of Michigan's 2025 national championship hopes being crushed.

It'll be interesting to see if Michigan plays Baker-Mazara special attention, both in terms of how they defend him and if they trash talk him at all. Baker-Mazara will need to stay levelheaded and focus on the game in front of him, not the game last month.

What will Kam Woods' regular rotation role look like?

In midseason addition Kam Woods's regular season debut against UC Santa Cruz, we got a good idea of who Woods is as a player. He impressed for his passing ability especially. But we didn't really get an idea of how Eric Musselman will use him because USC's rotation was so different than normal against an easy opponent.

Will he be part of the rotation? Will he get more or less minutes than other backup guards? Is he in shape enough to keep up with a D1 opponent?

Also, as a bonus storyline, does he get his first points as a Trojan.

How will USC's frontcourt defense hold up?

Ezra Ausar and Jacob Cofie have both been stars for the USC men's basketball team so far this season. Ausar has been great offensively, averaging 17.1 points per game, while Cofie has been a defensive stud, averaging 2.1 blocks and 1.1 steals per game in addition to 10.6 points per game.

They are going to have their hands full on Friday. They have to take on a Wolverine frontcourt with Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mora and Morez Johnson Jr., three projected 2026 NBA draft picks. Lendeborg and Mora are projected to go in the first round. All 3 average over 10 points a game.

That trio are going to make it tough for Cofie and Ausar both offensively and defensively. Can the Trojans count on their frontcourt, or will they need elite guard play to overcome a tough night for the frontcourt?

While Trojan fans shouldn't hold a loss against USC against such an elite team, they should expect to learn a lot about the character and fight of these Trojans. Let's hope for a great game.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC men's basketball faces Michigan at Crisler Center on Friday

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