Michigan State vs North Dakota State Prediction 3/19/26 College Basketball Picks Today
North Dakota State (27-7) vs. Michigan State (25-7)
March 19, 2026 4:05 pm EDT
The Line: Michigan State -16.5; Over/Under: 143.5
(Get latest betting odds)
The North Dakota State Bison and the Michigan State Spartans meet Thursday in college basketball action from the KeyBank Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Michigan State vs. North Dakota State Prediction.
North Dakota State Bison Recap
The North Dakota State Bison come into the NCAA Tournament on behalf of the Summit League, going 27-7 up to this point in the year.
Bison In Round Of 64 For First Time Since 2019
Damari Wheeler-Thomas leads the Bison in scoring with 14 PPG along with 3.7 RPG and 2.8 APG while Markhi Strickland has 12.9 PPG with 3.5 RPG and Trevian Carson has 12.7 PPG with a team-high 6.6 RPG to lead the Bison in rebounding. Treyson Anderson has 10.6 PPG with 5.7 RPG to round out the group of double-digit scorers for North Dakota State so far this season. Andy Stefonowicz also has 9.3 PPG with 3.1 RPG and 4.9 APG to lead NDSU in assists, while Noah Feddersen has 9.1 PPG with 4.8 RPG. As a team, North Dakota State is averaging 81.6 PPG on 47.3% shooting from the field, 36.6% from three and 73.2% from the foul line this season.
Why the North Dakota State Bison will win
- North Dakota State has won each of its last 10 day games.
- Michigan State has lost three of its last four games as a top-10 AP-ranked team.
Michigan State Spartans Recap
The Michigan State Spartans come into the NCAA Tournament as the 3-seed, finishing the year with a record of 25-7 this season.
Spartans Looking For Tournament Win For 5th Straight Season
Jeremy Fears Jr. leads the Spartans in scoring and assists with 15.5 PPG and 9.1 APG while Jaxon Kohler has 12.8 PPG with 9.1 RPG to lead the Spartans in rebounding. Coen Carr had 11.5 PPG with 5.3 RPG and Carson Cooper has 10.7 PPG with 7.1 RPG to cap off the group of double-digit scorers for Sparty so far this season. As a team, Michigan State is averaging 78.8 PPG on 47.1% shooting from the field, 35.5% from three and 76.2% from the foul line this season.
Why the Michigan State Spartans will win
- North Dakota State has lost each of its last 14 games against AP-ranked opponents.
- Michigan State has won each of its last 11 games when playing with a rest disadvantage.
Total Points Facts
- Each of North Dakota State’s last six day games has produced a total of 144+ points.
- Each of Michigan State’s last four day games against non-AP-ranked opponents has produced a total of 143 or fewer points.
Michigan State vs North Dakota State Prediction
I’m on North Dakota State and the points here. I think this Bison team is legit, and while I’m not sure they grab the outright win here, I think that the Bison can keep it close. Michigan State’s not normally a team that blows teams out of the water, and there’s a lot of variance here with the Bison, who I think can hold their own on the glass in this game. I think that Sparty wins, but NDSU covers.
