Scouting Michigan State basketball's NCAA tournament first-round game vs. USC
Michigan State basketball vs. Southern California
Breaking down Friday’s East region first-round game between No. 7 Michigan State and No. 10 Southern Cal:
Records: No. 7 Michigan State (19-12, 11-8 Big Ten); No. 10 Southern Cal (22-10, 14-6 Pac-12).
Fast facts: Time TBA, Friday; Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio.
At stake: Winner faces winner of No. 2 Marquette vs. No. 15 Vermont on Sunday for spot in Sweet 16.
SHAWN WINDSOR:Tom Izzo still figuring out his team. He's almost out of time.
About MSU
Location: East Lansing.
Coach: Tom Izzo (28 seasons, 685-278 career).
School tournament record: 70-34 over 35 seasons.
Past 10 regular-season games: 5-5.
Scoring leaders: Tyson Walker, 14.8 points per game; Joey Hauser, 14.2; A.J. Hoggard, 12.6.
Rebounding leaders: Hauser, 7 rebounds per game; Mady Sissoko, 6.2; Malik Hall, 4.2.
Assist leaders: Hoggard, 6.1 assists per game; Walker, 2.8; Hauser, 1.9.
3-point leaders: Hauser, 45.9%; Jaden Akins, 44.4%; Walker, 42.9%.
THE SENIORS:Joey Hauser, Malik Hall want to give Michigan State basketball another banner
The buzz: The Spartans started the season unexpectedly strong with a near-upset of then No. 2 Gonzaga on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln followed by a double-OT thumping of then No. 4 Kentucky. But Izzo’s squad struggled to score for most of the Big Ten regular season, averaging just 64.6 points a game over their first 14 conference games. But a matchup against Michigan following the on-campus shooting that left three MSU students dead and five others hospitalized seemed to right MSU’s offense. In six games since, MSU has averaged 80 points (and that’s including the Spartans’ Big Ten tourney quarterfinals loss to Ohio State in which they mustered just 58 points). Still, this isn’t a typical Izzo squad, as evidenced by MSU’s merely OK rebounding margin; they finished fourth in Big Ten play at +2.58 per game. The Spartans have excelled beyond the arc, however, both on offense and defense; their 40.1% success rate on 3-pointers attempted is third in the nation (behind only Colgate and Toledo) while their 30.9% success rate on 3-pointers allowed ranks 34th.
About USC
Location: Los Angeles.
Coach: Andy Enfield (10 seasons, 205-128 at USC, 246-156 career).
School tournament record: 17-22 over 20 seasons.
Past 10 regular-season games: 6-4.
Scoring leaders: Boogie Ellis, 18 points per game; Drew Peterson, 14; Reese Dixon-Waters, 9.8.
Rebounding leaders: Peterson, 6.2 rebounds per game; Joshua Morgan, 5.2; Tre White, 5.1.
Assist leaders: Peterson, 4.4 assists per game; Ellis, 3; Kobe Johnson, 2.5.
3-point leaders: Ellis, 39.2%; Peterson; 36.2%; Johnson, 35.4%.
The buzz: Enfield has come a long way from his “Dunk City” days at Florida Gulf Coast — almost literally, as the Trojans submarined their expectations to open the season with a 13-point loss to FGCU at home in Los Angeles. Ouch. But talent often wins out, and USC is an athletic squad that ranked 10th in the nation in blocks per game at 5.2. They might not be the best matchup with the Spartans, considering USC’s issues with outside shooting — the Trojans shot just 34.5% from beyond the arc, good for 168th nationally, while attempting 18.8 3-pointers per game (298th). In addition to the season-opening loss to FGCU, USC struggled with most of the better teams on their schedule, falling to Arizona twice, splitting with UCLA and losing to then-No. 22 Tennessee (an eventual 4-seed in this year’s tournament). One bad team the Trojans lost to? Wisconsin, which toppled USC in the Battle 4 Atlantis on Nov. 25. In that game, Drew Peterson led the Trojans with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Bookie Ellis had 15 points. They were the only USC players to score in double figures, as the Trojans shot just 41.1% from the field. Bet the Spartans are pulling up that game tape right now.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Scouting Michigan State basketball's NCAA tournament game vs. USC
