The San Jose State Spartans and the Michigan State Spartans meet Thursday in college basketball action from Breslin Center. Here’s a Michigan State vs San Jose State prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best Michigan State vs San Jose State pick.
San Jose State Spartans Betting Preview
San Jose State opened up their season with a matchup on the road versus Utah last Monday. In that one the Spartans hit a 44-38 deficit by the break and didn’t get any closer on the way to an 84-75 loss following a 40-37 second half. Topping the Spartans in scoring was Colby Garland with 21 points, four assists and three rebounds while Yaphet Moundi had a double-double on 12 points and 13 boards. JaVaughn Hannah also reached double-digits in the losing effort for San Jose State with 12 points, two rebounds and one assist in 32 minutes of work.
San Jose State played UC Santa Barbara in their second game of the season and that one didn’t go much better. The Spartans were down 45-28 by halftime and although they got better from there on a 46-40 advantage it was still a loss 85-74 in the end. Leading the team in scoring during the defeat was Colby Garland with 30 points, four assists and three rebounds. Ben Roseborough put up 12 points and four rebounds, while Melvin Bell had 12 points with five rebounds in the losing effort across 24 minutes on the floor.
Michigan State Spartans Betting Preview
Over on the Michigan State side, they took on Colgate in their first game of the season. The Spartans had a very modest 37-34 edge at the break, but kept in front with a 43-35 second-half run on the way to an 80-69 win. Leading the way in scoring was Jaxon Kohler with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Also doubling up was Jeremy Fears with 14 points and 10 assists, while Coen Carr had 12 points, four rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes of work during the home victory for Michigan State.
In game two back on Saturday versus Arkansas, Michigan State had a much trickier matchup in store. The Spartans were down by a score of 39-36 at the break in that one but surged in the second half for a 33-27 run in an eventual 69-66 win in the end. Tops on the team in scoring this time was Cam Ward with a double-double on 18 points and 10 rebounds. Coen Carr added 15 points and seven rebounds with three assists, while Jaxon Kohler had 10 points with seven boards and three assists in 31 minutes of action on the court during the victory effort.
Why the Michigan State Spartans will win
- Michigan State has won each of its last 15 games against non-Conference opponents at Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
- San Jose State has lost each of its last eight night games.
- Michigan State has won the first half in 34 of its last 38 night games against non-Conference opponents at Jack Breslin Student Events Center.
Why the San Jose State Spartans will win
- Michigan State has lost the first half in eight of its last 10 games against non-AP-ranked opponents.
Michigan State vs San Jose State Prediction
I’ll probably just stay with Michigan State here. The Spartans pulled off a plucky comeback home win over the Razorbacks in their latest outing, but there’s plenty to improve upon. Michigan State was great up front with a 39-31 rebounding edge and a 46-28 advantage on points in the paint. That said, the Spartans shot just 1-of-14 (7.1 percent) from outside and 69.2 percent (18-of-26) from the line alongside 14 turnovers. That’s not going to get it done in close games versus tough competition down the stretch, but Michigan State should be able to handle San Jose State pretty easily in a home matchup on Thursday.
Speaking of San Jose State, they shot pretty well in their loss to UC Santa Barbara (52 percent) but also had 14 turnovers and got outscored in the paint 30-26. SJSU will need a much faster start in Thursday’s game if they want to stay anywhere close. I’m not sure they’ll get it.