#10 USC (22-10) vs. #7 Michigan State (19-12)
It was the battle to see who really is the ultimate warrior. In the first half we had a see-saw of action as the Spartans of MSU pulled out ahead early, and it just felt as if they would put it away easily. The Trojans really took advantage of the softness of the interior defense as Joshua Morgan went to work, going 5-5 from the field and leading the charge with 10 points.
For Michigan State it was a much more balanced effort as their starters combined for 28 of their 34 first half points with the scoring totals being 4, 4, 6, 6, and their leading scorer having 8 points.
In the second half, for every Trojans run, the Spartans had an answer. Tom Izzo’s men always kept USC at arms length, eventually stretching their lead to 15. As the story was in the first half, Michigan State stayed extremely balanced in scoring with four players having 11 or more points. Joey Hauser led Michigan State with 17 points and 8 rebounds.
Andy Enfield’s USC Trojans end their season with a no show performance from Boogie Ellis, their super senior transfer from Memphis. USC were led by the tandem of Joshua Morgan (14 points) and Kobe Johnson (13).
No. 7 Michigan State 72, No. 10 USC 62
#15 Vermont (23-10) vs. #2 Marquette (28-6)
It felt like it was all Marquette in the first half of the second game in Columbus. Remarkably, the Catamounts were only down 9 going into the interval. Being down by the court, it was insane to see the speed, length, and physicality of the Golden Eagles. Shaka Smart’s group was led by David Joplin who had 10 points and an assist.
John Becker’s club hung around and has put themselves in position to make the second half very interesting. Vermont was led by the pair of Dylan Penn and Matt Veretto, who both had 9 for the Mounts. All 30 of Vermont’s points were extremely difficult, and the Golden Eagles made them earn all 30.
The second half saw Marquette continue to dominant the paint area offensively as they scored a total 38 of their 78 in the lane. The Golden Eagles just were too big, too strong, and too physical for Vermont. Every time down, the Catamounts got a heavy dose of paint touches and drives to the rim. Marquette went on a 21-6 run in the span of eight minutes, all this just getting to the rim and imposing their will.
It was just a struggle in the second half for John Becker and his group. Surprisingly, the Catamounts tried a little bit of everything as they played man-to-man, picked them up full court, as well as going triangle and two. Eventually, it was noticeable nothing worked. The Marquette Golden Eagles look every bit the part of the No. 2 seed in the East. Kam Jones led all scorers with 19 points.
No. 2 Marquette 78, No. 15 Vermont 61
