Michigan State basketball takes down USC, looks ahead to Marquette and Sweet 16

The 7-seed Michigan State Spartans began their dance through March as they took down the 10-seeded USC Trojans during the first round of the NCAA tournament at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio Friday by a score of 72-62.

The Spartans came into the tournament celebrating more than just their bid. On selection Sunday, head coach Tom Izzo became the first to pilot his team to 25 straight NCAA tournaments. This season, he passed Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski, who appeared in the tournament 24 times in a row from 1996-2019. 

One of the biggest keys to MSU’s success during the matchup was its defense. The Spartans were able to limit USC’s top returning scorer Boogie Ellis to only six points. The senior guard averaged 18 points a game during regular season play, but was unable to produce against the three Spartans who guarded him: A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker, and Jaden Akins. 

Another key element was MSU’s interior play. USC has excelled defensively all season, going into the game ranked 11th in defensive field goal percentage, holding opponents to 35.4% shooting on the season. The Spartans showed to be a problem for the Trojans in this department, however, and were able to cap the game off by scoring 32 points in the paint. 

With Columbus being only a few hours away from the Michigan border, Spartan fans made it feel like a hometown crowd, according to MSU center Carson Cooper.

“We have the best fanbase in the nation so being so close, it was a big advantage for us for sure, from USC being from so far away,” Cooper said in the postgame press conference. “I think every little thing helps in these tournaments.” 

Despite a ten-point difference in the final score, it was a tough battle during the Big Ten and Pac-12 matchup. The Trojans  secured a quick lead in the first minute that was almost immediately countered by a Mady Sissoko dunk. A triple from Joey Hauser put the Spartans up and give them the edge moving forward. 

The Spartans kept a single digit lead until the 2:23 mark, when the Trojans tied the game on a made free throw. The remainder of the half went back and forth until the very last second when A.J. Hoggard hit a jumper in the paint to tie the game and send both teams to the locker rooms. 

MSU came out with the first basket of the second half and didn’t look back, holding the lead for the rest of the game. Cooper came into the game and gave the Spartans a spark with back-to-back dunks and rebounds. With under five minutes remaining, the Spartans had a 15-point lead but the Trojans quickly brought it down to single digits after back-to-back three-pointers.

As time dwindled down, the Spartans slowed the speed of play, USC to make the decision on whether to foul. MSU was not able to convert on the one-and-ones, leaving USC an opportunity to stay in the game, but it was not enough.

Michigan State will dance on, feeling the momentum going into Sunday’s round-of-32 matchup against 2-seed Marquette.

“This win feels great,” said MSU center Mady Sissoko in the post game press conference. “But we have to focus on who we play next. The first round of the game is always the hardest. But, once you have it under your belt, take a deep breath and go into the next round.” 

Joey Hauser led the Spartans to victory with a team-leading 17 points, followed by Tyson Walker and Jaden Akins with 12 points each. Six other players rounded out the scoring for MSU. 

A.J. Hoggard disrupted the ball well during the match, creating shot opportunities for his teammates tallying a total of 5 assists. Izzo noted that Malik Hall also deserves credit for his play. 

Michigan State will face Marquette on Sunday at 5:15 pm, looking to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2019.