The Michigan women’s basketball team is good. Coach Kim Barnes Arico brought a 10-2 team to the Galen Center on Sunday night. Michigan entered the game ranked in the top 25. One of its two losses was to nationally-ranked Oklahoma in a good, tough battle. Michigan is extremely likely to be an NCAA Tournament team. USC women’s basketball received Michigan’s best punch for the first 28 minutes of Sunday’s game. With just over two minutes left in the third quarter, USC led by a slim 47-46 margin due to Michigan’s defense and to Trojan star Kiki Iriafen picking up four fouls, three of them being offensive fouls.
It sure seemed that late in the third quarter, this game was going to go down to the wire, or at least the final three minutes of regulation. Instead, it became a USC runaway. In one of the best 10-minute stretches you will see from any team in college basketball this season, the Trojans became a flying death machine. USC went into God mode and absolutely smoked Michigan in the next 9:40 of game time. With 2:30 remaining in the fourth quarter, USC had turned that very close game into a 76-49 laugher. That’s right: USC went on a 29-3 run in 9:40. The Trojans really did hold a top-25 opponent to three points in roughly a quarter-length period of action. That’s ridiculously good. How did the Trojans do it, and what should we focus on after this win over a top-25 team which improves USC’s chances of getting a No. 1 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament? Let’s talk:
RAYAH MARSHALL LEADS THE WAY
Rayah Marshall stepped up with USC trailing 38-36 midway through the third quarter and needing a spark. Marshall dribbled to the basket for a stylish layup. Then she assisted Avery Howell on a bucket. Then she made a steal by jumping into a passing lane. She took the ball down the court and showed impressive ballhandling ability with the dribble, finishing for an and-one basket. Marshall created seven quick points for USC and a 43-38 lead. That sequence changed the flow of the game and ignited Marshall’s USC teammates. Marshall played one of her best games as a Trojan. This was a star turn.
RAYAH MARSHALL VERSATILITY
Marshall is a frontcourt player, but she was active on defense at multiple spots on the floor. Some of the steals she created were caused by jumping to the free throw circle and the top of the key. Lindsay Gottlieb and Beth Burns also deployed her at the front of a full-court press. Her length makes it hard for opposing guards to throw the ball over the top of the press. Teams have to throw the ball side to side and therefore can’t push the ball up the court. This tactic, with Marshall centrally involved, prevented Michigan from settling into its halfcourt offense. Michigan took several extra seconds to set up a play, and that clearly bothered the Wolverines in the second half, when USC dominated on defense. Marshall can wear her hard hat and play physical low-post basketball, but she can also defend on the perimeter and in the open floor with her quickness. She really showed her versatility, and her offense — as noted above — helped change the game. This was a fantastic performance. 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocked shots don’t begin to tell the story of how truly impactful Marshall was for USC women’s basketball against Michigan.
OVERPLAYING PASSING LANES
USC defenders read passing lanes well and were able to offer backside help which turned into steals. Three different USC players collected three steals in the game. USC produced 11 total steals and forced 23 Michigan turnovers. Michigan committed more turnovers (23) than its number of made field goals (21). It was a clinic from USC women’s basketball.
JUJU WATKINS FREE THROWS
When USC women’s basketball is really rolling, a few things usually happen. One is that the 3-point shooting is good, but on Sunday, that actually didn’t happen (4 of 14 on threes). Another thing which usually happens when USC puts it all together: JuJu Watkins gets to the free throw line. That definitely happened in the third quarter, when USC began to blow this game open. JuJu earned 11 free throws in the third quarter, making 10. She finished 13 of 14 at the line. When JuJu gets double-digit free throw attempts, that means USC is getting easy points while putting the opponent in foul trouble. It’s a central part of a winning formula for the Trojans.
MICHIGAN 3-POINT STRUGGLES
Michigan made six 3-pointers in the first half to stay close. In the second half, USC women’s basketball put a lock on the 3-point line. The Trojans didn’t allow a 3-point make to Michigan in the first 18 minutes of the second half. By the time UM finally hit a triple — with 1:37 left — the Trojans had put the game fully away, leading by 23 points. One can’t say enough about how great USC’s perimeter defense was in this game.
ENERGY, HUNGER, ENTHUSIASM
Lindsay Gottlieb has made a point of not running away from the high expectations for USC women’s basketball this season. Gottlieb has talked about embracing the pressure and turning expectations into a challenge the team attacks with a sense of joy. We saw that in the second half. This team was flying around the court, having fun and playing with a ton of energy. That’s the blueprint. Don’t get nervous; be enthusiastic and energized instead of tentative and uncertain. The way USC played in those 10 dominant minutes against Michigan is the template for the rest of the season. Do this at home. Do it on the road. Do it on neutral courts. Do it in March.
Do it in April at the Final Four. That’s the template.
ALL OF THIS WITH KIKI IRIAFEN IN FOUL TROUBLE
What makes USC’s performance that much more impressive is that Kiki Iriafen — shown above being whistled for an offensive foul — committed four offensive fouls in this game and did not play much. She picked up a third foul midway through the second quarter and a fourth foul early in the third quarter. USC’s 29-3 run included some impactful plays from Iriafen, but it started without her. Rayah Marshall and JuJu Watkins really picked up the slack.
TALIA VON OELHOFFEN OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES
USC’s 29-3 run came without scoring from Talia von Oelhoffen, whose offense has not been up to par. It’s true that TVO plays great defense, which remains an important part of USC’s success, but the Trojans become a much, much bigger threat if TVO is providing 10 points a game and relieving some pressure from Iriafen and JuJu. USC doesn’t need offensive explosions from von Oelhoffen, but it does need 8 to 10 points and enough offense to make defenses shy away from double-teaming the Trojans’ bigger stars. It’s impressive that USC pulled off this late-game surge with Iriafen in foul trouble and TVO not scoring.
CONSISTENCY
USC hosts Nebraska for a noon game on New Year’s Day — Wednesday — in the Galen Center. It will be important for the Trojans to display the same energy as they did in the 29-3 run versus Michigan. No letdown. Bring the same hunger to the court. This time, hopefully Kiki Iriafen will stay out of foul trouble and Talia von Oelhoffen can provide some scoring.
USC just beat a top-25 Michigan team by 20 (78-58). Imagine what happens when Iriafen stays on the floor and TVO scores a few baskets. This is not the ceiling. The ceiling is actually higher for the Women of Troy.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: USC women’s basketball torches Michigan with astonishing second half
