Game Day Essentials:
Indiana (15-7, 6-5) vs. USC (16-6, 5-6)
- Tip Time: 10:00 p.m. Eastern, Tuesday
- Location: Galen Center (10,300), Los Angeles, Calif.
- Television: Peacock (Ted Robinson, Matt Muehlebach)
- Radio: IU Radio Network (Don Fischer, Errek Suhr, John Herrick)
- Stream: Peacock
- Point Spread: USC is around a 1.5-point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: Indiana 77 USC 76
- History: Indiana leads, 3-2
- Last Meeting: IU 82, USC 69 on Jan. 8, 2025, in Bloomington
- Tickets (via our StubHub affiliate link)
USC’s Eric Musselman
Eric Musselman is in his 11th season as a Division 1 head coach, and his second with the USC men’s basketball program. Across his career, he’s earned a 254-117 overall record.
Musselman has been around the block in terms of his coaching career, with stints at the collegiate level, CBA, G-League, and the NBA. Musselman had three seasons as an NBA head coach, with stints at both the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings. Musselman began his collegiate coaching career at Nevada, and led the Wolf Pack to four dominant seasons. He won three regular-season Mountain West titles with Nevada and appeared in the Sweet 16 in the 2017-18 season.
Musselman’s most notable college stint was with Arkansas, where he served as head coach from 2019 to 2024. Although he never led the Razorbacks to an SEC title, he led Arkansas to two Elite Eight appearances in 2021 and 2022, and a Sweet 16 finish in 2023. Musselman was hired as USC’s head coach on April 4, 2024.
USC’s results and roster
| DATE | OPPONENT | LOCATION | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11/3/2025 | Cal Poly | Los Angeles, Calif. | W 94-64 |
| 11/9/2025 | Manhattan | Los Angeles, Calif. | W 114-83 |
| 11/14/2025 | vs. Illinois State (Experian Hall of Fame Series) | Los Angeles, Calif. | W 87-67 |
| 11/20/2025 | Troy | Los Angeles, Calif. | W 107-106 (3OT) |
| 11/24/2025 | vs. Boise State (Maui Invitational) | Maui, Hawaii | W 70-67 |
| 11/25/2025 | vs. Seton Hall | Maui, Hawaii | W 83-81 |
| 11/26/2025 | vs. Arizona State | Maui, Hawaii | W 88-75 |
| 12/2/2025 | at Oregon | Eugene, Ore. | W 82-77 |
| 12/6/2025 | Washington | Los Angeles, Calif. | L 76-84 |
| 12/9/2025 | at San Diego | San Diego, Calif. | W 94-81 |
| 12/14/2025 | Washington State | Los Angeles, Calif. | W 68-61 |
| 12/17/2025 | UTSA | Los Angeles, Calif. | W 97-70 |
| 12/21/2025 | UC Santa Cruz | Los Angeles, Calif. | W 102-63 |
| 1/2/2026 | at No. 2 Michigan | Ann Arbor, Mich. | L 66-96 |
| 1/5/2026 | at No. 12 Michigan State | East Lansing, Mich. | L 51-80 |
| 1/9/2026 | at Minnesota | Minneapolis, Minn. | W 70-69 (OT) |
| 1/13/2026 | Maryland | Los Angeles, Calif. | W 88-71 |
| 1/17/2026 | No. 5 Purdue | Los Angeles, Calif. | L 64-69 |
| 1/20/2026 | No. 12 Purdue | Los Angeles, Calif. | W 69-67 |
| 1/21/2026 | Northwestern | Los Angeles, Calif. | L 68-74 |
| 1/25/2026 | at Wisconsin | Madison, Wis. | W 73-71 |
| 1/28/2026 | at Iowa | Iowa City, Iowa | L 72-73 |
| 1/31/2026 | Rutgers | Los Angeles, Calif. | W 78-75 |
USC’s game notes (via USC Athletics)
SHARING THE WEALTH
Over the course of 22 games, USC has had eight different players lead the team in scoring. Chad Baker-Mazara leads the charge, leading the team on nine different occasions. Ausar comes in second in this category, leading the scoring four times.
UNDER PRESSURE
USC is 6-1 in one-possession games and 2-0 in overtime games. The Trojans lead the Big Ten in one-possession wins, topping Nebraska, which has four, and Rutgers, which has three.
AUSAR IS BORN
Ezra Ausar has been a crucial player for the Trojans this season, especially in the second half. Through 22 games, Ausar averaged 10.0 points per game in the first half. However, he is averaging 9.9 points in the second half. In 50% of his games this season, he scored double-digit points in the second half. Ausar is also a staple on offense for USC this season and has made his mark at the charity stripe. His 189 free-throw attempts rank third in the nation, plus he ranks seventh with 8.0 fouls drawn per 40 minutes and third in free-throw rate. Additionally, he is currently 21st in the NCAA and second in the Big Ten behind Michigan’s Morez Johnson Jr. by making 61% of his field goals. Of those shots, 91.1% of them are taken either around the rim or in the paint. He also ranks in the 92nd percentile or better in fast break points per 40 minutes (3.4), paint points per 40 minutes (13.3), personal fouls drawn per 40 minutes (8.5), and points per 40 minutes (21.9) according to CBB Analytics.
COFIE TIME
Jacob Cofie is one of two Trojans who have started all 22 games. During the month of January, he has been crucial for the Trojans on the boards, averaging 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 offensive rebounds per game. He also contributed his fourth double-double of the season against Rutgers with 10 rebounds. From Jan. 17-25, Cofie became the first Trojan to have 10 or more rebounds in three consecutive games since Isiaah Mobley did so from Dec. 7-15.
CHAD’S CORNER
Chad Baker-Mazara has always dreamed of playing for USC since he visited his aunt on campus when he was in high school. Now, that dream is coming true, and it might be his best year yet. Baker-Mazara is currently averaging 18.8 points per game, which ranks seventh in the Big Ten. Along with that, he has a usage percentage of 29.2% and has an assist percentage of 20.3%, both of which are in the 98th percentile according to CBB Analytics. He broke his career-high in points twice this season, most recently doing that with 34 points in triple overtime against Troy. He added another 31 points and three blocks against San Diego, being the only USC player to hit 30+ points and 3+ blocks in two games. Additionally, Baker-Mazara is one of 44 players in the nation to have multiple 30+ point games and nine games with 20 or more points.
ARENAS ACTIVATED
Alijah Arenas has made his official debut with the Trojans, playing his first game for the Cardinal and Gold against Northwestern on Wednesday, Jan. 21. He is currently averaging 7.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.
OUT OF THE WOODS
Graduate transfer guard Kam Woods signed with USC on Dec. 18, 2025, giving the Trojans much-needed backcourt depth. The journeyman point guard comes to USC from Robert Morris, where he and Amarion Dickerson helped the Colonels reach the NCAA Tournament. Prior to that, he played for NC State, North Carolina A&T, Northwest Florida State College and Troy. Woods had his finest game as a Trojan against Iowa, where he scored a career-high 33 points — including a stretch in the second half where he scored 19-straight points for USC — with three rebounds, three assists and a career-high-tying four steals. His 33 points are the second-most by a Trojan in a game this year, trailing Chad Baker-Mazara’s 34-point effort against Troy.
IN THE PAINT
USC has made a name for itself by putting up shots in the paint. The Trojans have shot 51.2% of their shots from the paint or around the rim, accounting for 65% of the team’s made baskets.
DISHING IT OUT
USC has been great about sharing the basketball this season. They boast a two-point assist percentage of 49.4%, which ranks in the 94th percentile according to CBB Analytics. They also dish the ball out at the rim, assisting on 59.2% of those shots, which is in the 97th percentile according to CBB Analytics.
DEFENDING THE ARC
USC is one of the best teams at defending from beyond the arc. They are 13th in the BartTorvik.com rankings in this category, holding their opponents to 29.4% from that range. This stat is also good enough to rank in the 96th percentile on CBB Analytics.
INJURY UPDATE
USC has been hit with the injury bug this year. Guard Rodney Rice is out for the season following his shoulder surgery, while forward Amarion Dickerson is sidelined for three to four months with a hip injury. Jordan Marsh has also missed the last three games with turf toe. Alijah Arenas is back on the court after missing the first 18 games due to a knee injury.
No. 50 USC’s KenPom notable numbers:
(out of 365 teams)
Tempo – No. 67 (Offense No. 97 / Defense No. 163)
Offensive Efficiency – No. 72
- USC holds an effective field goal percentage of 52.1 percent on the year (No. 146). The Trojans are shooting 32.3 percent from three (No. 259) and 54.1 percent on 2s (No. 99). They’re scoring a high percentage of their points on free throws, which account for 24.8% of their total point distribution (No. 16).
- They’re getting to the charity stripe at a high 47.9% rate (No. 2).
- Outside of free throws, the Trojans are scoring most of their points from 2s. Their 34.3% three-point attempt rate is fairly low compared to the rest of Division 1 (No. 296).
- They’re getting offensive rebounds at a 32.8% rate (No. 115).
Defensive Efficiency – No. 45
- Opponents have shot a 47.5% effective field goal percentage against USC this season (No. 41). Teams are shooting 29.4 percent from three (No. 14) and 49.9 percent on 2s (No. 114).
- Teams are getting a high number of offensive rebounds against USC at 31.9% (No. 234).
- The Trojans are a good blocking team with a 14.6% rate on shots (No. 15).
- Opponents are finding the highest number of points from the free-throw line, which accounts for 22 percent of their point distribution (No. 88).
OG’s Pick
Overall: 14-6
Welp, the second time in a row that the Hoosiers have shut me up.
Taking a look at USC, despite not having standout guard Rodney Rice, they’re a very productive team on both ends of the floor. They have a good mix of veteran players with young talent who can score a high number of points and a solid defense that limits perimeter scoring.
A very similar team to UCLA, based on those conclusions. However, USC’s production from the free-throw line is a very big question mark for me. Indiana has still not fixed their foul trouble problem, and it showed against the Bruins. But the Hoosiers are playing their best basketball right now, and it would be wrong to pick against them.
PICK: Indiana 78 – USC 75
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