Michigan sits just outside the Top 25, all because of five points.
That was the combined margin of their three defeats as they head into a Saturday night Big Ten matchup against Southern California in Los Angeles.
The programs don’t have much head-to-head familiarity — they have met only twice. The Trojans prevailed in Los Angeles in December 1981 after the Wolverines won the first meeting at home in 1947.
USC (9-4, 1-1 Big Ten) hasn’t played since trouncing Southern 82-51 on Dec. 22 in Los Angeles, leaving the Wolverines (10-3, 2-0) and coach Dusty May unsure what to expect.
“USC, they have such a long prep time,” May said. “They come out with junk defenses. They could come out more solid than they’ve ever been. We have no idea. So in a conference battle, you have to be able to adjust on the fly. And I think our guys are doing a really nice job of that here lately.”
The Wolverines are led by Florida Atlantic transfer Vladislav Goldin (13.9 points per game), Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr. (12.4), Auburn transfer Tre Donaldson (12.3) and Yale transfer Danny Wolf (11.8, 10.2 rebounds per game).
Michigan last played on Sunday, a 112-64 demolition of visiting Western Kentucky. Six Wolverines scored in double figures, with Goldin and Nimari Burnett leading the way with 17 apiece.
USC has won four straight games, a run that started with the Trojans’ first Big Ten victory, 85-61 over host Washington. Southern California lost to then-No. 12 Oregon, a fellow Big Ten newcomer, the game before that.
Since those conference matchups, the Trojans have won their three games by an average margin of 26 points.
The Trojans are paced by Desmond Claude (14.5 ppg), Chibuzo Agbo (13.1) and Josh Cohen (10.2).
Terrance Williams II, who played for Michigan the past four years before transferring to USC, was averaging 10.6 points per game before going down with a wrist injury after seven games.
“Michigan, it’s not going to be easy,” USC guard Wesley Yates III said. “We just have to continue what we’ve been doing and play even harder. I feel like we’ll have to do everything 10 times harder. I believe in Big Ten play, every game counts and every possession counts.”
–Field Level Media
