NCAA Tournament: How No. 7 Michigan State men's basketball can beat No. 10 USC

The Spartans were the No. 4 team in the nation in three-point shooting percentage during the regular season at 39.5%

The Trojans are dancing!

The 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket is out and USC received a No. 10 seed.

The Trojans have been placed in the East Region and will take on No. 7 Michigan State in a first round game in Columbus, Ohio on Friday at 9:15 am PST. The winner of the game will play the winner of No. 2 Marquette and No. 15 Vermont on Sunday. 

Here's what the Spartans can do to take down the Trojans. Later this week, we'll run a similar piece on how USC can beat MSU.

IT STARTS WITH HITTING THREE-POINTERS

Michigan State was the No. 4 team in the nation in three-point shooting percentage during the regular season at 39.5%. When USC has lost games in the last two weeks, they've been torched from deep. 

In the Trojans' most recent loss to Arizona State in the Pac-12 Tournament, the Sun Devils hit 14 three-pointers connecting on 43% of their shots from long range. When USC fell to Arizona a week prior, the Wildcats shot 50% from downtown. Arizona also shot 50% from deep when the two teams met for the first time in January.

USC shot 34.37% from three-point range in the regular season, which ranked 171st in the nation.

KEEP DEFENDING THE THREE-POINT LINE WELL

Michigan State hits its three-pointers on one end and the Spartans defend the three-point line very well on the other. MSU's opponents shot 30.9% from beyond the arc in the regular season, which ranked 34th in the country. USC's opponents shot 32.9%, which ranked 115th. 

CONTINUE TO TAKE CARE OF THE BALL

Michigan State's 1.37 assist to turnover ratio ranks 31st in the country. USC's 1.08 assist to turnover ratio ranks 137th. Junior guard AJ Hoggard averages 6.0 assists per game for the Spartans, which ranks tenth in the nation. 

USE ITS EXPERIENCE

After USC found out its NCAA Tournament opponent, head coach Andy Enfield told reporters: "This team is a little unique because with [just] two experienced players, Drew [Peterson] and Boogie [Ellis], coming into the year, we didn't know what to expect. They improved dramatically and we're proud of them."

While the Trojans are a relatively young team, the Spartans are not. Senior guard Tyson Walker leads Michigan State scoring 14.6 points per game and senior forward Joey Hauser averages 14.2 points per game. Both shoot over 40% from three-point range. 

The Spartans start two seniors, two juniors and a sophomore. Senior Malik Hall doesn't start, but plays 25.3 minutes per game. Walker, Hauser, Hoggard, Hall and sophomore Jaden Akins all contributed on Michigan State's NCAA Tournament team last year. 

Outside of Peterson and Ellis, Reese Dixon-Waters was the only other player on the Trojans to have a significant impact in USC's NCAA Tournament defeat to Miami in 2022. 

The Trojans have more new faces, which could potentially be an advantage for the Spartans. 

SLOW DOWN BOOGIE ELLIS

Ellis is USC's leading scorer at 18.0 points per game. After Ellis, Peterson, Dixon-Waters and Tre White are all capable scorers for the Trojans, but it's really Ellis who makes USC click on offense. Limiting the senior guard is easier said than done — Ellis averaged 24 points per game in USC's final 12 contests — but that's the best way to slow down the Trojans.