Wolverine Spirit: The Thrilling World of University of Michigan Athletics

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The University of Michigan men’s basketball squad (10-3, 2-0 Big Ten) resumes Big Ten action as they travel to the West Coast to face newly affiliated conference rival USC (9-4, 1-1 Big Ten) on Saturday (Jan. 4) at 5 p.m. PST at Galen Center. The match will be streamed live on Fox.

Notes

• Michigan kicks off 2025 with a week-long sojourn to Los Angeles to compete against new Big Ten entrants USC (Jan. 4) and UCLA (Jan. 7). The Wolverines are making their inaugural visit to the Galen Center and their eighth appearance at Pauley Pavilion.

• Following a pair of non-conference home victories, Michigan enters Big Ten play with a record of 10-3. The Wolverines triumphed in two early December conference matchups — defeating No. 11 Wisconsin (67-64) and Iowa (85-83).

• Michigan’s three losses have been by a combined total of five points. U-M lost to Wake Forest by two points (72-70) on Nov. 10, dropped a close game to Arkansas by two points (89-87) on Dec. 10, and fell to No. 14 Oklahoma by one point (87-86) on Dec. 18. U-M has achieved victory in its 10 wins with an average margin of 17.4 points.

• U-M is set to encounter USC for the first time in over four decades. In the two earlier contests, the Wolverines suffered a defeat of 77-63 on Dec. 27, 1981, during the Holiday Classic at the L.A. Sports Arena and secured a win of 51-38 in Ann Arbor on Dec. 22, 1947.

• The match against USC was anticipated to be a reunion with Terrance Williams II, who utilized his COVID-19 eligibility to transfer to USC as a graduate student. Unfortunately, Williams injured his wrist and had to undergo surgery, ruling him out. He spent four years in Ann Arbor, contributing to the Wolverines’ 2021 Big Ten championship and two NCAA Sweet 16 appearances (2021 and 2022). He graduated with a degree in sport management from U-M’s School of Kinesiology.

• Michigan has maintained the same starting five across all 13 games — Tre Donaldson, Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle Jr., Danny Wolf, and Vladislav Goldin. U-M has continued to feature a rotation of 9-10 players, with Will Tschetter solidifying his role as the sixth man for a second consecutive season.

• Michigan is currently shooting at a rate of 51.2 percent from the field. Five Wolverines have shooting percentages exceeding 50 percent, with Goldin leading at 68.3 percent. Almost 31 percent of Michigan’s scoring comes from beyond the arc (121 three-point shots out of 393 total field goals). Six Wolverines have recorded at least 10 three-pointers, with Burnett leading the way with 25.

• The Wolverines have achieved 29 three-pointers over their last two games (47.5 percent). In the four games prior, U-M only managed to make 22, posting a shooting rate of 24.1 percent. U-M has tallied seven games where they have made 10 or more three-pointers, including a recent program-record-tying 19 against Western Kentucky.

• Michigan has delivered back-to-back performances with 21 assists, which has contributed to a season total of four matches with 20 or more assists. U-M is assisting on nearly 58 percent of its baskets.