No. 9 Michigan State Spartans take on the No. 24 USC Trojans

Published Jan. 4, 2026 4:43 a.m. ET
Associated Press

USC Trojans (12-2, 1-2 Big Ten) at Michigan State Spartans (12-2, 2-1 Big Ten)

East Lansing, Michigan; Monday, 8:30 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: No. 9 Michigan State plays No. 24 USC.

The Spartans are 7-1 in home games. Michigan State has a 9-2 record against teams over .500.

The Trojans are 1-2 in Big Ten play. USC ranks ninth in the Big Ten with 34.6 rebounds per game led by Jacob Cofie averaging 6.6.

Michigan State's average of 7.9 made 3-pointers per game this season is the same per game average that USC allows. USC has shot at a 48.4% clip from the field this season, 9.6 percentage points greater than the 38.8% shooting opponents of Michigan State have averaged.

The Spartans and Trojans match up Monday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Jaxon Kohler is scoring 14.1 points per game with 10.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the Spartans. Jeremy Fears Jr. is averaging 12.3 points and 2.1 rebounds while shooting 41.7% over the last 10 games.

Chad Baker-Mazara is scoring 20.4 points per game with 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists for the Trojans. Ezra Ausar is averaging 16.4 points and 6.3 rebounds while shooting 57.3% over the past 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Spartans: 8-2, averaging 79.5 points, 39.5 rebounds, 18.7 assists, 5.6 steals and 5.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.4 points per game.

Trojans: 8-2, averaging 82.6 points, 32.3 rebounds, 13.9 assists, 6.6 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.5 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

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