A Top 25 showdown ushers in 2026 and the meat of this season’s Big Ten schedule when second-ranked Michigan hosts No. 24 Southern California on Friday in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The Wolverines (12-0, 2-0 Big Ten) aim to extend their best start for the program since the 2018-19 team won 17 straight to open the year. Dusty May’s squad closed the 2025 portion of their schedule on Monday with a 112-71 blowout of a McNeese team that advanced to the second round of last season’s NCAA Tournament.
The rout marked Michigan’s third straight game scoring 100-plus points and its sixth triple-digit game of the season — a run that includes romps of 101-60 vs. Rutgers on Dec. 6 and 101-83 on Dec. 13 at Maryland in the Wolverines’ first two league games.
Michigan ranks third in the nation in scoring average (96.8 points per game) in games through Wednesday. Eight Wolverines average more than eight points, led by Yaxel Lendeborg’s 15.7 per game.
The versatile forward also has also been key to Michigan’s 12.2-per game rebounding advantage, which stands as eighth-best in the nation. He grabs 7.2 per outing as 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara, the UCLA transfer, is the only one who averages more at 8.3 per game.
Mara’s 2.6 blocked shots per game also lead Michigan, which has complemented its prolific scoring with stingy defense. The Wolverines lead the nation in scoring margin (30.3 points per game) and rank No. 1 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.com — allowing just 87.7 points per 100 possessions.
“I’d be lying if I said that we as a group feel like we’d have this margin, just because we know how difficult that is,” Michigan coach Dusty May said. “But we can come at you in waves. There’s not much drop-off with any rotation, and I think our guys’ commitment to defense and rebounding is why we’ve been able to separate.”
USC (12-1, 1-1) likewise has proven capable of coming at opponents in spurts thanks to a prolific offense. The Trojans average 89.4 points per game, 24th in the nation, albeit with a more lopsided distribution than Michigan.
Through the first six games, combo guard Rodney Rice’s ability to both score and set up teammates buoyed the Trojans to the tune of 20.3 points and six assists per game. Since Rice sustained a season-ending shoulder injury Nov. 25 against Seton Hall, Chad Baker-Mazara has stepped up as USC’s most consistent scoring threat. He scored at least 19 points in six straight games before finishing with 15 in limited minutes against Division III opponent UC Santa Cruz on Dec. 21.
Baker-Mazara’s 21.0 points per game are tied for third in the Big Ten. Not far behind, tied for 12th in the league with 17.1 points per game, is Ezra Ausar. He closed USC’s 2025 docket on an impressive upswing.
Ausar rebounded from being benched during the Trojans’ lone loss, an 84-76 setback vs. Washington on Dec. 6, with a career-high 29 points on Dec. 9 at San Diego. The Utah transfer added his first double-double as a Trojan with 22 points and 10 rebounds against UTSA on Dec. 17, then scored 15 points in just 16 minutes against UC Santa Cruz.
Along with Baker-Mazar and Ausar’s consistent play, USC also moved to address Rice’s loss by adding Robert Morris transfer Kam Woods just before the holiday break. The sixth-year senior debuted against Santa Cruz with six assists, six rebounds and three steals in 22 minutes off the bench.
“We recruited him early on in the portal, and things just didn’t work out but we really wanted him early on,” USC coach Eric Musselman said. “Once he wasn’t anywhere, then we had the injuries, we felt like he’d be a great addition.”
Musselman cited Woods’ “pass-first mentality” as providing the Trojans a potential catalyst for playing a more uptempo brand of basketball heading into the bulk of Big Ten competition.
–Field Level Media
