The No. 7-seeded Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball team will take on the No. 10-seeded USC Trojans on Friday at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time on CBS in Columbus, Ohio.
While USC (along with UCLA) will join the Big Ten Conference in 2024, Michigan State fans may not be completely familiar with the 2022-2023 University of Southern California men’s basketball team. Let’s get to know the Trojans better.
-School: University of Southern California (USC)
-Nickname: Trojans
-Location: Los Angeles, California
-Conference: Pac-12
-Head coach: Andy Enfield (205-128 at USC, 246-156 overall as a head coach, 61.2% win percentage)
-2022-2023 Record: 22-10 (14-6 Pac-12)
-All-time NCAA Tournament record: 17-21* (two Final Fours in 1940 and 1954, zero national championships, 2008 appearance/loss was vacated)
-Series history versus Michigan State: 3-3 (0-1 in NCAA Tournament)
Michigan State last played USC in the second round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament. MSU won that game 74-69. Before that meeting, the last time the programs met was on Dec. 29, 1970, an 88-63 win for the Trojans.
USC boasts two Final Four appearances in program history, but when the Trojans advanced to that stage of the bracket, the field consisted of just eight teams in 1940 and just 16 teams in 1954.
-Associated Press Poll: Not ranked in top-25 and receiving votes
-Coaches Poll: Not ranked in top-25 and not receiving votes
-NET: 50th (3-6 in Quad 1 games, 7-2 in Quad 2 games)
-Kenpom: 36th overall, 43rd in adjusted offensive efficiency, 48th in adjusted defensive efficiency
-Barttorvik: 41st overall, 44th in adjusted offensive efficiency, 59th in adjusted defensive efficiency
-Points per game: 72.8 (70.2 for MSU)
-Points per game allowed: 67.3 (67.4 for MSU)
-Field goal percentage: 45.7% (45% for MSU)
-Field goal percentage allowed: 39% (42% for MSU)
-3-point field goal percentage: 34.5% (39.5% for MSU)
-3-point field goal percentage allowed: 33.4% (31.5% for MSU)
-Free-throw shooting percentage: 74.4% (76.2% for MSU)
-Rebounds per game: 35.3 (35.7 for MSU)
-Rebounds allowed per game: 35.8 (32.6 for MSU)
-Assists per game: 13.4 (14.8 for MSU)
-Turnovers per game: 12.5 (10.9 for MSU)
Of note, USC is tough defensively, ranking in the top-10 in the country in field goal percentage allowed at 39%. Offensively, USC shoots a respectable 45.7% overall from the field, but does not shoot particularly well from deep.
The Trojans currently rank 167th in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage at 34.5%. Meanwhile, Michigan State ranks in the top-five in the NCAA in 3-point field goal percentage (39.5%), and USC ranks 156th in 3-point field goal percentage allowed (33.4%).
-Boogie Ellis, senior, guard: 18.0 points per game, 3.7 rebounds per game. 3.03 assists per game, 43.9% field goal percentage, 39.2% 3-point percentage
-Drew Peterson, senior, guard/forward: 14 points per game, 6.2 rebounds per game. 4.4 assists per game, 44.3% field goal percentage, 36.2% 3-point percentage
-Reese Dixon-Waters, sophomore, guard: 9.8 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game. 1.1 assists per game, 44.1% field goal percentage, 28.6% 3-point percentage
-Tre White, freshman, guard: 9.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, 1.06 assists per game, 48% field goal percentage, 27.1% 3-point percentage
-Kobe Johnson, sophomore, guard: 9.0 points per game, 4.9 rebounds per game, 2.5 assists per game, 47.1% field goal percentage, 35.4% 3-point percentage, 2.2 steals per game
-Joshua Morgan, redshirt junior, forward/center: 6.7 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, 56.8% field goal percentage, 2.25 blocks per game
Ellis is the leading scorer for the Trojans at 18.0 points per game, and he also leads the team in 3-point field goal percentage at 39.2%. Ellis was voted first-team All-Pac-12. At 6-foot-9, Peterson is a versatile player, who is designated by USC as a “guard,” but will likely play at the power forward position against Michigan State. Peterson averages 14 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, but he has also shown great ability to pass in the front-court, and leads the team in assists with 141 total and 4.4 per game. Like Ellis, Peterson was also voted as first-team All-Pac-12.
Additionally, Morgan is a 6-foot-11 big who leads the Trojans in field goal percentage at 56.8% and blocks (63 total, 2.25 per game). Morgan was named to the Pac-12 All-Defensive team. Joining Morgan on the Pac-12 All-Defensive team is Johnson, who averaged 2.2 steals per game, while chipping in 9.0 points and 4.9 rebounds per contest.
White was a Pac-12 All-Freshman team selection after averaging 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Dixon-Waters was named as the Pac-12’s Sixth Man of the Year.
The winner of Friday’s matchup between USC and Michigan State will take on the winner of the first-round game between No. 2-seed Marquette and the No. 15-seed Vermont in the Round of 32 on Sunday.