NCAA Tournament: Michigan State Basketball vs. UCLA Preview

It's officially March Madness!

After an exciting end to the regular season and conference tournament where Michigan State played eight games in 20 days, defeating Illinois, Ohio State, and Michigan, the Spartans find themselves in a play-in game against UCLA.

MSU has struggled to find consistency all year, especially offensively.

However, if Michigan State can receive solid contributions from Aaron Henry, Joshua Langford, Rocket Watts, and Gabe Brown, they should find ways to stay efficient on both ends of the floor.

Coaches

In his 26th season as head coach, Tom Izzo is 642-253, all with Michigan State, while Mick Cronin is 401-192 overall and 36-21 in his second season with UCLA.

The Bruins lead the all-time series, 6-4, but the Spartans won the previous two meetings at the Maui Invitational in 2019 and Thanksgiving weekend in 2018. 

Prior to that, they met in the first round of the NCAA Tournament (2011) when MSU was a 10-seed. UCLA walked away victorious, 78-76.

A Look at UCLA

The Bruins finished the year with four straight losses. In each of those contests, UCLA led in the second half, which isn't a good habit to develop right before the postseason. Not to mention the lack of experience; none of the players dressing for UCLA Thursday night have participated in the big dance.

Tyger Campbell, Johnny Juzang, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. earned All-Pac-12 honors, and the Bruins were among the conference leaders in 3-point shooting at 39%.

Yet, they don't defend it well, allowing opponents to hit 37.6% of its shots from deep. Roster-wise, the Bruins look different than originally intended. 

Chris Smith, UCLA's best player, had a season-ending injury, and Jalen Smith left the team.

Campbell isn't much of a deep-threat, but he takes care of the ball, and the Bruins have five guards averaging double-digit points; plus, three of them shoot 37% or better from behind the arc.

The Bruins don't have much of a post presence, meaning Michigan State should be able to play its smaller and best lineup against them.

A Look at Michigan State

Even with a down year, Michigan State and Tom Izzo are in the NCAA tournament for the 23rd consecutive season. Under their Hall of Fame coach, MSU has routinely surpassed expectations and gone on runs in March, particularly when the Spartans are overlooked.

With Izzo leading the way, Michigan State is 17-5 in tournament openers and is 5-3 in its last eight contests. Following a grueling stretch, the Spartans had a whole week off and time to recuperate, so fatigue shouldn't be a factor.

In late February, MSU tightened the rotation and found their best lineup.

Henry, Michigan State's star forward, remains the dominant force; Joey Hauser is utilized off the bench, Brown provides loads of energy, Langford supplies senior leadership, Watts can run the point (at times), and Marcus Bingham Jr. has become a force down low.

UCLA is similar to Maryland in that it has good length, but the Bruins don't defend at a high-level, and in a game where possessions will matter, that favors the Spartans. 

Prediction

The Bruins have lost several late leads and don't feature any veterans or guys with NCAA tournament experience. Meanwhile, Michigan State has won every close game down the stretch (U-M, Illinois, Ohio State, and Indiana twice). MSU isn't afraid of the moment and features players willing to step up in the clutch. It'll be the difference in this one. 

MSU 63 UCLA 57