Michigan State vs Florida Atlantic Prediction 12-21-24 College Basketball Picks
Florida Atlantic (7-5) vs. Michigan State (9-2)
December 21, 2024 2:00 pm EDT
The Line: Michigan State -12.5; Over/Under: 158.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The Florida Atlantic Owls and the Michigan State Spartans meet Saturday in college basketball action from Breslin Center. Here’s a Michigan State vs Florida Atlantic Prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Michigan State vs FAU pick.
Florida Atlantic Owls Betting Preview
FAU came out of the gate this year on a 4-2 run, taking losses to only UCF and Charleston in that time. The Owls would lose to Drake, Seton Hall and FGCU before three more wins over FIU, Jacksonville and Texas State.
In the Texas State game, the Owls turned a 43-40 halftime edge into an 89-80 victory with a 46-40 run in the second. Leading the team in scoring off the bench was Tre Carroll with 18 points and four rebounds to his credit.
Michigan State Spartans Betting Preview
Over on the Michigan State side, they took out Monmouth, Niagara, Bowling Green, Samford and Colorado during their first six games. After a loss to Memphis it was wins over North Carolina, Minnesota, Nebraska and Oakland in the next four.
On Tuesday versus Oakland, the Spartans were ahead by one point at the break, then hit a 46-28 run for a 77-58 win in the end. Xavier Booker led the team on 18 points with six rebounds.
Why the Michigan State Spartans will win
- Michigan State has won each of its last 14 day games against non-Conference opponents at Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
- Florida Atlantic has lost four of its last five road games following a home win.
- Michigan State has won the first half in each of its last 10 day games at Jack Breslin Student Events Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Why the Florida Atlantic Owls will win
- Florida Atlantic has won each of its last six Saturday day games against non-Conference opponents.
- Florida Atlantic has won the first half in each of its last four games against non-Conference opponents.
Michigan State vs FAU Prediction
I’ll probably just stick with Michigan State here. The Spartans started pretty slowly against a struggling Oakland team in their last outing, but ended up going 19-of-23 (82.6 percent) from the line with a dominant 51-31 rebounding advantage. There’s plenty for the Spartans to clean up here, but the 77 or more points in four straight games is a promising sign.
As for FAU, they shot a nice 52.5 percent from the field in their win over Texas State but missed nine of their 29 free throws (69 percent) in the process and allowed 51.8 percent shooting on the other side. The Owls have scored 85 or more points in three straight (all wins) but may have difficulties keeping up with the Spartans on Michigan State’s home court.
