Malia Samuels steps up B1G for USC in tournament semifinal win over Michigan

USC women's basketball can rest easy in one specific way: The Trojans know for sure they will be a No. 1 seed in the 2025 Women's NCAA Tournament. The Trojans locked away the top seed in March Madness by beating Michigan 82-70 in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on Saturday in Indianapolis.

This was not an elegant game for the Trojans. Whether good or bad, expected or not, USC has very firmly established that it can overcome bad halves, bad quarters, and lots of negative plot twists. A lot of in-game developments cut against Lindsay Gottlieb's team on Saturday. In a single-elimination situation, fresh adversity can be paralyzing and overwhelming. The Trojans refused to buckle. They were down by eight points late in the first half. They were down 46-39 early in the third quarter. They kept fighting back. Now USC gets to scout the second Big Ten semifinal and prepare for another championship basketball game.

Let's take you through the key details of this USC win over Michigan:

Malia Samuels in a starring role

This was huge, but not at all expected. Malia Samuels had been buried in the rotation -- not unfairly, either. Kayleigh Heckel had played some very important minutes for USC earlier in the season and had deserved to be the backup point guard behind Talia von Oelhoffen. However, Heckel has been struggling, and she played poorly against Michigan in limited minutes. With von Oelhoffen in foul trouble, Lindsay Gottlieb called Samuels' number, and she responded in a very big way. Samuels' defensive energy -- nothing you will see in a box score -- kept USC afloat in the third quarter. Samuels then began to provide some offense, hitting a key 3-pointer from the corner and finishing with 8 huge points in a game USC won by 12. If Samuels can do anything close to this on a regular basis, USC will know it has a solid, reliable option at the point, which is essential for the NCAA Tournament.

Kiki Iriafen was a beast

Lindsay Gottlieb said it, not us. Gottlieb, interviewed on court after the win over Michigan, said Kiki Iriafen was a "beast" in this game. Yes, a 25-point, 11-rebound, 10-of-19 performance rates as "beast mode." This is the player USC hoped to have. Feeding Iriafen in the paint was a reliable go-to move. Kiki hit several mid-range jump shots, too. Her rebounding was important as well. If this is the player USC is getting for the NCAA Tournament, the Trojans will be happy.

JuJu Watkins basketball IQ

JuJu Watkins sometimes settles for the jump shot. She did a lot of that in the first two and a half to three quarters. In the fourth quarter, she attacked the rim and made good things happen. She sometimes finished through contact. She sometimes dumped the ball off to a teammate for an easy basket. She sometimes got to the free throw line. Every time she attacked the basket in the fourth quarter, JuJu Watkins was rewarded. So was USC. This is how JuJu needs to play in the NCAA Tournament.

USC press

The USC press forced several Michigan turnovers. What it also did was speed up the game, which Michigan -- playing a third game in three days at the Big Ten Tournament -- did not want to do. Lindsay Gottlieb made a great chess move here, taking away Michigan's legs. The Wolverines did not shoot 3-pointers nearly as well in the final 15 minutes as they did in the first 25. The USC press was part of that. USC took advantage of fresher legs due to playing the early game on Friday, and due to having only two games at this tournament compared to Michigan's three.

USC rebounding

USC's size and length mattered against Michigan. The Trojans were plus-4 on the offensive glass and plus-9 overall. Those extra possessions added up.

Rayah Marshall returns

She was ill on Friday and missed the Indiana quarterfinal, but Rayah Marshall returned to the floor in the semifinals against Michigan. Her size was disruptive on defense and helpful on offense. Marshall's nine points gave a tangible boost to an offense which was struggling for most of the game before putting it together in the fourth quarter.

3-point defense

Michigan hit several 3-pointers in the first two and a half quarters but went stone cold in the fourth. The final tally was 4 of 15 for the Wolverines. When USC's opponents do not hit 3-pointers at a high rate, they usually lose.

NCAA Tournament seeding

USC is definitely a No. 1 seed. Now the question becomes whether USC can get the No. 1 overall seed or at least the No. 2 overall seed, both of which should create a more favorable Elite Eight bracket for the Women of Troy. If USC wins the Big Ten Tournament on Sunday, USC should at least be the No. 2 overall seed. If Texas loses in the SEC Tournament and USC wins the Big Ten tourney, USC should be the No. 1 overall seed.

Big Ten Tournament Championship Game

USC faces UCLA or Ohio State on Sunday in Indianapolis. The broadcast starts on CBS at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time, 4:30 p.m. Eastern time.