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The first round of March Madness continues on Friday, starting off with a marquee matchup between the No. 7 seed Michigan State Spartans and No. 10 seed USC Trojans.
The 7-10 games are some of the best in the first round, and this one sees two storied programs going up against each other in Columbus, Ohio. The winner will advance to play the winner of No. 2 seed Marquette (28-6) and No. 15 seed Vermont (23-10).
The game tips off at 12:15pm ET and can be seen on CBS.
Game Preview
Both teams are led by coaches with plenty of tournament success.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is known as "Mr. March" and is an astounding 53-23 in the tournament, including eight Final Four appearances and one national championship (2000) during his long career. Izzo had only lost before the second round six times.
The Spartans (19-12) went 11-8 in the Big Ten. The Trojans (22-10) finished 14-6 in the Pac-12.
Michigan State has played a lot of close games this season, outscoring their opponents by just 2.8 points per game. The Spartans are 5-2 in points decided by five points or less this season. They are led by seniors Tyson Walker and Joey Hauser, who are averaging 14.6 and 14.2 points per game.
USC is led by Boogie Ellis, who is shooting 43.9% and scores 18.0 ppg.
USC coach Andy Enfield has his own success in March. Enfield has a career 7-5 record in the NCAA Tournament. He took No. 15 seed Florida Gulf Coast to an astonishing run to the Sweet 16 in 2013. He is 3-2 in first-round games.
Game Prediction
Spread: Michigan State (-2)
Total (O/U): 137.5
Moneyline: Michigan St. (-135) vs. USC (+115)
USC averages 74.7 ppg, while Michigan St. averages 71.1.
Izzo often succeeds when his team is overlooked. Hauser and Walker have plenty of experience to lead the Spartans to a first-round win.
Michigan State played a much tougher schedule in the deep Big Ten.
The experience combination should be enough for the Spartans to survive and advance.
Michigan State 75, USC 71
