Henry Roldán
The first round of March Madness action continues early next Friday with an exciting matchup in the East when USC vs Michigan State takes the court.
The Trojans are coming off a third-place finish in the PAC-12, although they lost in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to Arizona State. Meanwhile, the Spartans finished fourth in the Big Ten powerhouse and lost in the conference quarterfinals to Ohio State.
Without further ado, at JefeBet we bring you the best preview of the USC Trojans vs Michigan State Spartans March Madness first round game.
Picks and Predictions for the USC Trojans vs Michigan State Spartans NCAA Basketball Championship Round 1 Game on March 17 2023
- Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio
- When: Friday, March 17, 2023, 11:15 AM E.T.
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USC Trojans Betting Preview
- Overall Record: 21-9
- Conference Record: 11-7
The Trojans will have a tough task to avoid a second consecutive first-round March Madness loss when they face a tough Michigan State team on Friday.
To avoid repeating last year’s loss to Miami, the Southern California team needs a strong performance from its dynamic duo of Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson, both first-team PAC-12 All-Star selections.
With 18.0 and 14.0 points scored per game, respectively, these youngsters were the spark plug for a Trojans team that averaged 72.8 points per game and nearly 46% shooting from the court. These figures are not among the nation’s elite, but they are by no means negligible.
On the defensive side, USC is under the spotlight for its great performance from the court, as it only allowed its opponents to shoot 39% from the court, the seventh-lowest rate in the entire league, and opponents averaged 66.9 points per game, a figure that left them ranked 90th in the nation.
Michigan State Spartans Betting Preview
- Overall Record: 19-12
- Conference Record: 11-8
The Spartans have a great opportunity to turn the page on the surprising loss to Ohio State a couple of days ago when they take on the Trojans this Friday.
Michigan State is confident that its powerful long-distance offense will be enough to advance to the next round of March Madness, something they were unable to accomplish last season after being defeated by Duke.
With 40.1% shooting from the three-point line, the Spartans finished as the third-best team in the nation in the category. In addition, they scored 70.9 points per game and made the most of their free throw opportunities by making 76.4% of their free throws, the 29th best percentage in the circuit.
On the defensive end, Michigan State could also have a good game by finishing in the top 100 nationally in points allowed per game(67.4), court goal percentage (42.0%), and shooting from long distance (30.9%).
As for its figure on the board, in this case we must resort to plural endings. The Spartans have a very powerful trident with the presence of Tyson Walker, Joey Hauser, and A.J. Hoggard. The former two finished above 14 points per game and over 40% shooting from three, while Hoggard led the team with 6.0 assists per game.
JefeBet Prediction
The Trojans’ season has been fantastic, but all indications are that it has not been good enough to beat the Spartans this Friday.
While USC is one of the best teams in the nation defending the court goal shot, it did not do the same job when it came to stopping long-distance shots. And precisely that one is Michigan State’s main weapon, who is one of the nation’s best at making three-point shots.
In addition, the Spartans barely conceded 42% shooting from the field and just over 30% shooting from long distance, while the Trojans lacked consistency in these categories. In fact, their offense was based on getting second chances with offensive rebounds.
Prediction: Michigan State wins (USC 70- MIC 76).
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