USC Trojans vs. Michigan Wolverines Men's Basketball Preview, Prediction, TV Channel, Odds

The 9-4 USC Trojans men's basketball team will face the 10-3 Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 5 p.m. PT. The TV broadcast will be on Fox. Preview, prediction, and odds for the matchup at Galen Center. Can Eric Musselman and the Trojans keep a winning streak?

Dec 18, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Saint Thomas (0) celebrates in the second half against the Cal State Northridge Matadors at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The USC Trojans men’s basketball team is 9-4, 1-1 in Big Ten conference play. USC ended 2024 on a high note, looking to keep the momentum in their first game of 2025. The Trojans are taking on the 10-3 Michigan Wolverines on Jan. 4.

How to Watch

The USC Trojans men’s basketball team will open against the Michigan Wolverines at 5 p.m. PT on Saturday at Galen Center in Los Angeles, California. The game broadcast will be on Fox.

Dec 18, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans forward Saint Thomas (0) celebrates in the second half against the Cal State Northridge Matadors at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

USC vs. Michigan Preview

The USC Trojans are on a four-game win streak, looking to keep the momentum going. USC already has one conference loss, attempting to prevent more. The Trojans have been more disciplined on defense since USC coach Eric Musselman reached out to NBA coaches for advice. 

USC’s players have been more consistent with their top players stepping up each week. Guard Desmond Claude leads the Trojans with 14.5 points per game. Forward Saint Thomas leads the team averaging 5.9 steals, 4.5 assists, and 1.5 steals per game. Against the Southern Jaguars, Josh Cohen and Chibuzo Agbo stepped up. Getting the Trojans to play consistently, and having each player step up has been helping the team win.

USC last played on Dec. 22, giving the Trojans a decent break through the holiday season. While it has been a while without game action, the team has been training outside of the three days they had off. After the game against the Southern Jaguars, Musselman spoke about the plan for the break.

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“I think basically nine of the guys will be out of town in the next three hours and then everybody will be out of town by the morning. They get three days off where they’re completely off and then they’ll report back in the afternoon or late afternoon after the three days on the 26th,” Musselman said. “Leading up to Michigan we’ll spend the first four days on ourselves and we’ll spend after the fourth day, we’ll start diving into Michigan.”

The Michigan Wolverines are 10-3 this season, and 2-0 in Big Ten conference play. Two of Michigan’s losses have come against ranked opponents. All three losses have been tight matchups, with the Wolverines losing by just two points or less. 

Dec 18, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard Desmond Claude (1) reacts in the first half against the Cal State Northridge Matadors at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

It will be a big test for the Trojans’ defense. The Wolverines are third in the NCAA in effective field goal percentage at .590 and sixth in field goal percentage at .512. The top player to watch is center Vladislav Golden who averages 13.9 points and 1.9 blocks per game. He is also No. 1 in the Big Ten for field goal percentage. 

This matchup has not been seen often. USC and Michigan have not faced each other in 44 years. The last meeting was in 1981 and the Trojans won 77-63.

USC vs. Michigan Prediction

The USC Trojans are 5.5-point underdogs against the Michigan Wolverines. The Trojans will beat the spread, but lose the game 76-72. 

After USC’s game against Michigan, the Trojans will face the 11-3 Indiana Hoosiers on Jan. 8 at Bloomington Assembly Hall.

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