Monday, January 5
East Lansing, Mich.
8:30 PM
Michigan State University
vs
USC
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
No. 9 Michigan State Starts Three-Game Homestand on Monday Night, Hosting USC in Big Ten Conference Matchup
1/4/2026 6:02:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 9 Michigan State returns to the Breslin Center for the first of three-straight Big Ten Conference games, hosting No. 24 USC on Monday, Jan. 5 (8:40 p.m., FS1). The Spartans are coming off a narrow 58-56 loss at No. 13 Nebraska on Friday night in Lincoln. Senior forward Jaxon Kohler had 19 points and 11 rebounds, his fifth-straight double-double and the ninth of the season (No. 4 nationally).
Monday's game will air live on FS1, with Kevin Kugler and LaPhonso Ellis calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play, Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst and Zach Surdenik as the studio host. The game can also be heard on channels 117 or 196 on SiriusXM or on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
Monday's game will air live on FS1, with Kevin Kugler and LaPhonso Ellis calling all of the action. The Spartan Media Network radio call can be heard state-wide and on the web at MSUSpartans.com, with Will Tieman handling the play-by-play, Matt Steigenga serving as the color analyst and Zach Surdenik as the studio host. The game can also be heard on channels 117 or 196 on SiriusXM or on the SiriusXM app.
About the Spartans
- Michigan State enters Monday's game with an 12-2 overall record (2-1 Big Ten) and are coming off a narrow 58-56 loss at No. 13 Nebraska on Friday night.
- The Spartans are No. 9 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll and No. 9 in this week's ESPN Coaches poll.
- MSU is No. 17 in the NCAA Net Rankings and No. 15 per KenPom.
- Michigan State is one of eight schools nationally with at least 4 Quad 1 wins (Duke, Arizona, UConn, Iowa State and Michigan).
- The Spartans are No. 10 in the country in assists (19.6 apg), with Jeremy Fears Jr. second in the country with 9.1 dimes per game.
- MSU ranks No. 5 in the country in rebound margin (+13.8) and Kohler is second in the Big Ten, and No. 15 nationally, with 10.4 rpg.
- The Spartans are No. 26 nationally in scoring defense (65.4 ppg) and ranks No. 5 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency per KenPom.
- Through 14 games, the Spartans have four players scoring in double figures, eight averaging at least 5.0 ppg and nine averaging at least 10.0 minutes.
- Jaxon Kohler leads the team in scoring with 14.1 ppg and tops the team with 10.3 rpg (2nd B1G, #15 nationally) ... Kohler, who has five-straight double-doubles and ranks No. 4 nationally with nine this season, has scored in double figures 14 times this year.
- Jeremy Fears Jr., who leads the team with 30.9 minutes played, is second on the team with 11.7 ppg and is handing out 9.1 assists per game, second in Division I.
- Coen Carr, one of the most athletic players in all of college basketball, is third on the team with 11.7 ppg, third on the team with 5.1 rpg and third with 1.6 apg in 28.4 mpg.
- Carson Cooper, who had 16 points and a career-best 16 rebounds vs. Duke, is playing a career-high 24.6 minutes, is fourth on the team with 10.1 ppg and second with 7.4 rpg, ninth in the B1G.
- Kur Teng, who scored a career-high 15 points against Kentucky, is averaging 7.4 ppg and has scored in double figures in four-straight games; Cam Ward is sixth on the team with 5.8 ppg and fourth with 4.1 rpg and Divine Ugochukwu, who scored a career-high 23 points at Penn State, is averaging 5.5 ppg in 13.6 mpg.
- Senior Trey Fort is tallying 5.3 ppg, redshirt freshman Jesse McCulloch is averaging 3.9 ppg and 1.8 rpg and freshman Jordan Scott adds 3.4 ppg and 3.5 rpg in 16.0 mpg.
- Michigan State returns back to the Breslin Center for three-straight games ... The Spartans are 7-1 at home this year, the lone loss a 66-60 decision to then-No. 4 Duke.
- In the last year-plus, the Spartans are 22-2 at home
- The Spartans have an all-time record of 494-77 (.865) at home since the Breslin Center opened in 1989, including a 262-60 (.814) in Big Ten play.
- Under Head Coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans are 420-62 (.872) at the Breslin, including a 221-47 (.825) conference record.
- Tom Izzo has consistently played one of the toughest schedules in America.
- With a willingness to play at home, on the road or a neutral site, his list of regular-season non-conference opponents reads like a who's who of top college basketball programs.
- MSU ranks No. 17 nationally in the NET Strength of Schedule and No. 69 in non-conference strength.
- The 2025-26 home schedule is arguably the best in program history, with home non-conference games against Arkansas (W, 69-66) and Duke (L, 66-60) ... In addition to 10 Big Ten contests, MSU will host 12 power conference opponents for the first time in the Izzo Era.
- Michigan State's challenging schedule through the opening month-plus has provided opportunities for the Spartans as well.
- The Spartans are one of only eight teams nationally with at least four Quad 1 wins, notching wins over Arkansas, Kentucky, North Carolina and Iowa ... The only other schools with four Quad 1 wins are Arizona, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Duke, UConn, BYU and Michigan.
- When MSU improved to 12-1, it marked the sixth time in Izzo's 31 seasons the Spartans have gotten through Christmas with one loss or fewer.
- The Spartans, who have made the highest climb in the Associated Press poll from No. 22 in the preseason to a current rank of No. 9, have played six games against high-major opponents, including four-straight games (North Carolina, Iowa, Duke and Penn State).
- Southern California enters the game on Monday night with a 12-2 overall record, including a 1-2 mark in the Big Ten after Friday night's 96-66 loss at Michigan.
- The Trojans are in the middle of a three-game Midwest road swing, with a pair of games in Michigan followed by a contest at Minnesota on Friday (Jan. 9).
- USC, ranked No. 24 in the most recent Associated Press poll and receiving votes in this week's ESPN Coaches poll, opened the season with eight-straight wins, including three in a row in Hawaii to win the Maui Invitational.
- USC ranks first nationally in free throw attempts per game (31.3) and in free throws made per game (22.8) and rank No. 32 nationally in scoring offense, scoring 87.7 points.
- The Trojans are second in the Big Ten in scoring offense overall (87.7 ppg) and 17th in the league in scoring defense (77.7 ppg) ... In league games, USC is ninth in scoring offense (74.7 ppg) and 16th in scoring defense (85.7 ppg).
- Monday's game against Southern California will mark the ninth all-time meeting between MSU and USC.
- This is the second meeting since the Trojans joined the Big Ten Conference.
- The head-to-head series is tied at four wins apiece.
- USC won the first game between the teams as members of the Big Ten, 70-64, last year.
- MSU Head Coach Tom Izzo is 2-1 all-time against USC.
- The Spartans have a 1-0 record in home games.
- The first-ever meeting between the teams was an 81-63 MSU win on Dec. 19, 1953 in East Lansing.
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