Minneapolis, MN (My Sportsbook) - Senior guard Travis Walton scored 18 points, as second-seeded Michigan State squeezed past 10th-seeded Southern California, 74-69, in second-round action of the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Region.

Kalin Lucas added 10 points and seven assists for the Spartans (28-6), who advance to face third-seeded Kansas in the regional semifinals on Friday in Indianapolis. Durrell Summers ended with 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

Michigan State is making its 12th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. The Spartans have won eight of their last nine games in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

"You know, you got to take your hats off to them," said Walton. "They had a triangle two and box and one, but they left some of us open and we knocked some shots down. Kalin Lucas put the ball in my hand a couple of times on the money and Chris Allen hit big shots and so did Durrell Summers."

Southern California was paced by Dwight Lewis, who finished with 19 points and five boards. DeMar DeRozan ended with 18 points and five rebounds for the Trojans (22-13), who won 72-55 over seventh-seeded Boston College in the first round. Daniel Hackett added 13 points in defeat.

USC punched their ticket to the Big Dance by winning their first-ever Pac-10 Tournament title. Southern California was also riding a season-high six-game winning streak heading into the tilt.

"Well, we played a fine Michigan State team that, you know, we knew was terrific in rebounding areas and offensive transition. They defended us very well tonight or this afternoon," said Southern California head coach Tim Floyd.

Trailing 70-69, Walton drained a long-range deuce to put the Spartans ahead 71-70 with 3:40 remaining.

The next points didn't come until there was 1:19 left, when Goran Suton connected on a pair of foul shots to extend Michigan State's margin to 73-70. USC had a chance to tie the game on their next trip down the floor, but Hackett and Lewis both missed three-pointers. Lucas grabbed the defensive board after Lewis' misfire.

Following a timeout with 41.1 ticks to go, MSU turned the ball over by not being able to beat the shot clock. The Trojans took over with 22.7 seconds left.

Hackett forced up a bad shot from the baseline during USC's possession. Green pulled down the rebound before being fouled. Green made 1-of-2 from the line to essentially seal the victory with 12.7 ticks remaining.

The Trojans missed two shots from beyond the arc as time expired.

After a back-and-forth battle in the first half, Michigan State held onto a 40-37 edge heading into the locker room. The Spartans led by as many as five points in the half. Both teams shot over 42 percent from the field during the initial 20 minutes.

USC began the final frame on an 11-2 surge to take a 48-42 edge. Lewis' free throw capped off the spurt with 16:19 remaining, but Michigan State roared right back.

The Spartans responded with a 10 straight points to regain the lead, 52-48, with just over 13 1/2 minutes left. Lucas started the run with a pair of shots from the stripe and finished it with a driving layup.

The Trojans didn't get rattled, though, as they fought back to set up an exciting finish.

Game Notes

The Spartans shot 6-of-13 from beyond the arc, while the Trojans went 1-of-10 from three-point land...USC turned the ball over 11 times, compared to 16 for Michigan State...The Trojans had five blocked shots, compared to one for the Spartans...There was a total of 16 ties and 14 lead changes in the game...This was the first meeting between the two teams since 1970. The all-time series is now tied at 3-3.