Know Your Opponent: Scouting the USC Trojans
Can the Spartans make a run in head coach Tom Izzo’s 25th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance? Michigan State, the No. 7 seed in the East region, squares off against No. 10 seed USC on Friday in Columbus, Ohio.
There are some similarities between the two teams. Both have talented guards, both are led by their defense, and it feels like both teams still haven’t quite lived up to their potential. Michigan State and USC each have multiple Top 25 wins, but also uncharacteristic losses.
The Trojans finished third in the Pac-12 standings, and have the talent to match up with just about anybody. It starts with senior guards Boogie Ellis and Drew Peterson for the Trojans. Ellis is a ball-dominant guard that can score from all three levels. He will be the best player on the floor Friday, and a threat to score at any time. Peterson, a 6-foot-9 guard, is a mismatch for any team. Both players earned first team All-Pac-12 honors this season, and Peterson is a two-time honoree.
Other award winners include sophomore guard Reese Dixon-Waters, who won Sixth Man of the Year in the conference. Freshman guard Tre White made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team, while sophomore guard Kobe Johnson and junior forward Joshua Morgan made the conference’s All-Defensive team.
While those six Trojans earned conference honors, USC doesn’t go very deep on their bench. Lack of depth is their biggest weakness, as USC won’t play more than seven players if they don’t have to, somewhat similar to Michigan State. Morgan is their only experienced forward, and the Trojans rely on younger, inexperienced players when he gets in foul trouble.
Morgan and the guards are tough defensively. USC averages 5.2 blocks and seven steals per game as a team. The Trojans often play four-guard lineups, but the 6-foot-9 Peterson, 6-foot-7 Wright and 6-foot-6 Johnson, USC has a lot of length with those guard-heavy lineups. The Spartans need to keep unnecessary turnovers to a minimum, or else they are looking at a potential first round exit.
In terms of style of play, USC’s guard-oriented lineup bodes well for Michigan State. The Spartans will be able to play a ‘small ball’ lineup, which is arguably their best. Morgan doesn’t score much, so Joey Hauser guarding him won’t be a huge mismatch.
Controlling Ellis, Peterson, and Dixon-Waters offensively will be the biggest test for Michigan State. The Trojans play more uptempo, but that’s nothing the Spartans haven’t faced already this season. Michigan State can beat USC with good ball movement leading to open shots.
The Spartans need to get up off the mat after a surprising loss to Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals, which was one of their worst performances this season. Michigan State will benefit from playing in Columbus, where they’ll likely have a sizeable “home” crowd over the West Coast-based Trojans. The early tip time – 12:15 p.m. – is also an advantage for the Spartans.
MSU has not escaped the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament since 2019. The Spartans fell in the “First Four” in 2021, and defeated Davidson in the first round last season before a second round defeat at the hands of Duke. Michigan State once again has a stiff test in the first round this season against USC.
