An intriguing NCAA Tournament First Round game gets the action started Friday afternoon in the East Region. The #10 USC Trojans, who received an at-large out of the Pac-12, battle the #7 Michigan State Spartans who earned an at-large from the Big Ten. The winner of the game will play either #2 Marquette or #15 Vermont. Below is our pick for the First Round clash between USC and Michigan State.
USC vs Michigan State Betting Pick
| ℹ️ The Pick: | USC +2 |
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This game will be played at Nationwide Arena at 12:15 p.m. ET on Friday, March 17, 2023.
Why Bet on USC:
✅ USC enters in good form going 5-2 in their last seven games of the regular season, with both loses coming to the Arizona schools.
✅ The Trojans have been good in the NCAA Tournament under Andy Enfield, and they are a team that could beat anyone on any given day.
✅ Michigan State is 3-3 in their last six games of the regular season.
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USC Trojans – Go for Gold
USC enters this game having lost in their opening Pac-12 Tournament game, but are in good form. The Trojans made a late season run to earn the #10 seed and will now look to advance to the second round in this intriguing matchup.
The metrics do not love USC as they come out as the 50th best team in the nation but are an impressive 10-8 in Quad One and Quad Two games this season.
USC is looking to win their first NCAA Tournament game since they made a run to the Elite Eight back in 2021. This will be the third consecutive season the Trojans have gone dancing.
Michigan State Spartans – Are They Capable of a Run?
Michigan State dealt with a tragedy late in the season and, understandably, their play has suffered a bit. The Spartans saw their regular season come to an end in the quarterfinals, their first game, of the Big Ten Tournament with a loss to a bad Ohio State team.
The Spartans rank as the 33rd best team in the nation and are 13-11 against teams in the first two quads.
Michigan State is dancing for the 24th straight season and will look to advance further than one-and-done appearance last season.
