No. 7 Michigan State opens February gauntlet at USC

Michigan State has climbed to No. 7 in the rankings by going unbeaten in the months of December and January.

If the Spartans go unbeaten in February, there's a case to be made for them being the best team in the country.

That speaks to how much the Big Ten schedule will challenge Michigan State in February, starting with Saturday's game against Southern California in Los Angeles.

It's the first of eight games in the month for Michigan State (18-2, 9-0), five of which are on the road and six of which are against opponents ranked No. 33 or better in the NET rankings as of Thursday.

"I think the road is gonna get tougher," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "(The schedule) is backloaded. I think everybody by now has checked the schedule and realized that, I think, all but one of our next 11 games, if you win, would be a Quad 1 win. That kind of tells you a lot.

"And yet, I don't want to diminish what we've done, either. Because we have done some incredible things."

What Michigan State has done is win 13 games in a row and vaulted to the top spot in the Big Ten going into its February gauntlet.

The Spartans have relied on unique depth, with only one player averaging in double figures. Senior Jaden Akins is averaging 13.6 points per game, but four other players are averaging at least 8.3 points per game for a rotation that can go 10-deep.

Michigan State hopes to make it 14 in a row against USC, which will be hungry to respond after an 82-76 home loss to rival UCLA on Monday.

USC (12-8, 4-5) has been inconsistent all year, but has shown flashes of being an NCAA Tournament team.

The Trojans entered Thursday at No. 73 in the NET rankings, so a win over the Spartans (No. 17) would be a huge boost to their hopes of making a run for an NCAA tourney bid in the final weeks of the season.

USC doesn't have a 10-man rotation like Michigan State, but it does feature a balanced scoring attack with four regulars scoring in double figures: Desmond Claude (16.1), Chibuzo Agbo (11.6), Wesley Yates (11.4) and Saint Thomas (11.1).

Terrance Williams averaged 10.6 points in seven games but has been sidelined since December with a broken wrist. Rashaun Agee gave the Trojans quality minutes against UCLA, scoring a season-high 21 points.

USC has also been without reserve Matt Knowling (foot), which has reduced the Trojans to a six- or seven-man rotation recently.

"We have two guys out and I think they've been out for quite some time," USC coach Eric Musselman said. "I think our guys are battling. But you look down there and some teams keep coming at you with a seventh, eighth and ninth man."

This is the first-ever regular season meeting between these programs. The other two meetings came in the NCAA Tournament, with both games won by Michigan State (2009 and 2023).

--Field Level Media