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USC vs. Michigan State: Best NCAA Tournament Round 1 Bets (Friday)

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The Madness returns Friday for even more jam-packed college basketball action! Before things tip off this afternoon be sure to get all of your betting picks placed. To help, here are our top picks for Friday’s Round 1 action: USC vs. Michigan State.

Round 1 NCAA Tournament Picks & Predictions for Friday: USC vs. Michigan State

All betting odds are from:

Round 1 Player Prop Bet Picks & Predictions for Friday

USC

Prop Odds Units To Win Book
Kobe Johnson Over 1.5 Assists -143 1.43 1 CZR

Michigan State

Prop Odds Units To Win Book
A.J. Hoggard Over 5.5 Assists 104 1 1.04 FD

Check Out All of Our Round 1 Player Prop Bet Picks & Predictions >>

Round 1 Same Game Parlay Picks

Leg 1: Michigan State -1.5 (-118)

The Spartans have a very good three-headed monster. Tyson Walker and Joey Hauser are averaging over 14 points per game and are the two legitimate scoring options, then A.J. Hoggard is a great facilitator with six assists.

MSU holds a significant advantage on the boards, and while they’re 80 in rebounds allowed, USC was 269th. What should give you confidence in the Spartans is that they are battled tested. They have the country’s No. 1 Adjusted Efficiency Margin and have 13-11 quad 1 & 2 wins.

Ultimately in a game where the points will come from inside, MSU has the better talent to get it done.

Leg 2: Under 137.5 Game Total (-110)

MSU is already one of the slower-paced teams in the country at 304th in Adjusted Tempo according to KenPom, but they also do an excellent job at slowing down their opponents. USC is middle of the pack in tempo already. Neither team likes to shoot from three, ranking below 280th in three-attempted, so we won’t find the score build up from there. I kept hammering home that this game will live inside the paint and it will more about physically containing their opponent than out-scoring them.

Leg 3: Joey Hauser Under 15.5 Points (-113)

Joey Hauser has been excellent all season, scoring the second most points on the team, but they will have a tough battle with the height disadvantage against Joshua Morgan. Overall the Trojans are very good inside the arc and allow a second-fewest 42.4 two-point percentage.  This is going be a tough game for Hauser, where the Spartans will have to rely more on their defense to get the win.

Total Parlay: +565

Check Out All of Our Round 1 Same Game Parlay Picks >>

Round 1 Betting Picks & Predictions

This is one of the more intriguing matchups of the first round, featuring two teams who struggled to develop and maintain offensive identities throughout the season. Michigan State shoots the 3 ball at the 4th highest percentage in the country and shoots FTs at the 33rd highest percentage, but they rank 290th or below in attempts in both categories. USC is pretty middling across the board offensively, but I do believe that they have a decisive edge on the defensive end (7th in the nation in FG% allowed and 2nd in 2PT FG% allowed). I expect this game to be low scoring and extremely close throughout, with efficient offensive possessions coming at a premium. I lean toward the Spartans to advance in the end, who have multiple dynamic guards in Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard and Jaden Akins, and survived the gauntlet of a much tougher Big 10 regular season.

Pick: Under 137.5

Check Out All of Our Round 1 Picks & Predictions >>

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