EAST LANSING— No. 9 Michigan State men’s basketball suffered its first Big Ten loss on Saturday against new conference foe Southern California, 70-64.
MSU looked uncharacteristic at the Galen Center this past weekend. The Spartans fell behind the Trojans early in the first half and had to play catch-up the full 40 minutes of play and were never able to claim a lead.
Redshirt freshman guard Jeremy Fears Jr. led MSU with 12 points, senior guard Jaden Akins followed with 11 points and sophomore forward Coen Carr put up eight points of his own against USC. The Spartans shot 42.1% from the field, 33.3% from behind the arc and 57.9% from the free throw line as a team.
MSU had a rocky start to the game with a pair of turnovers. The Spartans had turned it over 13 times, giving up 12 points to the Trojans off those turnovers.
Looking forward, MSU must now take on the other newly added California team UCLA on Tuesday. The Spartans and Bruins have met seven times before, with UCLA leading the all-time series 4-3.
The two teams have met at the Pauley Pavillion before for their first meeting on Dec. 20, 2003. UCLA claimed victory in the 2003 matchup 64-58.
Scouting UCLA
UCLA is 16-6 on the season and 7-4 in conference play. The Bruins are 11-1 this season at Pauley, only dropping one game to now- No. 24 Michigan on Jan. 7, 94-75.
Since their win over Iowa on Jan. 17, the Bruins have been on a five-game hot streak. As of late, UCLA overcame Oregon on Jan. 30, winning 78-52. Three Bruins finished in double-figures over the Ducks, and they outshot the Ducks from the field and from behind the arc.
Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, sophomore guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. and sophomore guard Sebastian Mack are all averaging in double-digits for points per game. Bilodeau leads UCLA, averaging 14 points per game.
The Bruins are currently shooting 47.4% from the field, 34.9% from behind the arc and 70.5% from the free throw line this season. They are also averaging 32.6 rebounds per game, 15.8 assists per game, 11.3 turnovers per game, 8.5 steals per game and 2.9 blocks per game.
MSU and UCLA will face off on Tuesday with the tip-off set for 10 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on Peacock.