After Monday night’s comeback bid against crosstown rival UCLA fell short, the Trojans are preparing to welcome an imposing No. 7 Michigan State team to Galen Center Saturday afternoon. The Trojans (12-8, 4-5 Big Ten) put up a strong fight against the Bruins (15-6, 6-4), rallying from an 11-point deficit and cutting the margin to just one in the final minute of the game. However, poor free throw shooting proved to be a serious liability, which USC could not overcome. The Trojans shot just 11-19 from the line, marking its worst free throw shooting performance of the season.
“You gotta work on your free throws, which we do, but we’ve had two home games where, late, we just haven’t converted at a good enough rate,” said Head Coach Eric Musselman in a postgame press conference Monday.

While the Trojans lost that game 82-76, there were some bright spots. Graduate forward Rashaun Agee led the team in scoring, with his 21 points marking his highest scoring output of the season. Redshirt freshman guard Wesley Yates III scored 19, senior forward Saint Thomas scored 13 and junior guard Desmond Claude finished with 12 points.
The team is hoping that those bright spots can shine once more against a Michigan State (18-2, 9-0) team that hasn’t lost in over two months, with its last defeat coming at the hands of the University of Memphis on Nov. 26. 

The Spartans have been victorious in 13 straight games since that loss, in part due to a stout defense. Head Coach Tom Izzo’s squad has only allowed 80 or more points twice this season. Additionally, the team ranks No. 18 nationally in defensive efficiency.

As for their offense, the Spartans employ a balanced scoring attack with a strong emphasis on ball movement. Senior guard Jaden Akins leads the team with 13.6 points per game, and eight other players average 5 or more a night. The team also ranks No. 5 nationally in assists per game, averaging 18.5. 

In their last game, the Spartans crushed a struggling Minnesota (11-10, 3-7) in an emphatic 73-51 home victory. This victory kept them firmly at the top of the Big Ten standings, where they hold a 1.5-game lead over the rest of the field. 

Michigan State’s dominance has put it in a strong position for the NCAA Tournament in March; they are currently projected as a No. 3 seed in Joe Lunardi’s bracketology on ESPN.

USC’s tournament hopes may be starting to slip out of reach, but a favorable schedule lies ahead; the Trojans are only scheduled to face one other Associated Press Top 25 team in February. And they’ve already shown that they have the tools to compete with teams at the top of the conference, shocking then-No. 13 Illinois in a 10-point win on Jan. 11.While the Trojans are a dismal 1-4 at home in Big Ten play, Galen Center has become a much louder and more favorable home environment for the team in recent weeks. Musselman and his players will be hoping for that trend to continue on Saturday. To pull off a massive upset, the Trojans will need to execute from beyond the arc, aggressively pull down offensive rebounds and hope for a little bit of luck to swing their way.

Despite being composed almost entirely of transfers, the team is beginning to carve out a unique identity on the court. Musselman was aware that putting a squad together from scratch would be difficult but said he is impressed with the progress his team has made so far.

“I hope that anyone who came to tonight’s game or anyone that watched would say, ‘Wow. In year one, they’re battling and competing,’” Musselman said. “We’ll see where we are in five years. Hopefully, I’m still sitting here, and we have a team that can play in Sweet 16s, but we’ll see, hopefully, history repeats itself.”

The Trojans’ tilt with Michigan State will tip off on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.