Michigan State Spartans vs Mississippi State
March 21, 2024 12:15 pm EDT
The Line: Mississippi State +1.5 ; Over/Under: -
(Get latest betting odds)
The Michigan State Spartans and Mississippi State Bulldogs meet Thursday in the college basketball NCAA Tournament First Round at the Spectrum Center. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best bets for this game. Here’s a Michigan State Spartans vs Mississippi State Bulldogs prediction.
Michigan State Spartans Betting Preview
The Michigan State Spartans recently beat Minnesota, while losing to Indiana and Purdue. The Michigan State Spartans are averaging 73.4 points on 46 percent shooting and allowing 65.9 points on 41 percent shooting. Tyson Walker is averaging 18.2 points and 2.9 assists, while Malik Hall is averaging 12.6 points and 5.6 rebounds. AJ Hoggard is the third double-digit scorer and Jaden Akins is grabbing 3.8 rebounds. The Michigan State Spartans are shooting 36 percent from beyond the arc and 70.5 percent from the free throw line. The Michigan State Spartans are allowing 32.6 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 31.7 rebounds per game.
Mississippi State Bulldogs Betting Preview
The Mississippi State Bulldogs recently lost to Auburn while beating LSU and Tennessee. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are averaging 75.3 points on 45.5 percent shooting and allowing 69.6 points on 41.9 percent shooting. Josh Hubbard is averaging 17.1 points and 1.7 assists, while Tolu Smith is averaging 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds. Cameron Matthews is dishing 2.9 assists and Shakeel Moore is grabbing 2.2 rebounds. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are shooting 32.9 percent from beyond the arc and 67.1 percent from the free throw line. The Mississippi State Bulldogs are allowing 29.4 percent shooting from deep and are grabbing 35.5 rebounds per game.
Michigan State Spartans vs Mississippi State Bulldogs prediction
Usually, Tom Izzo teams get stronger as the tournament approaches, but Michigan State enters this game with losses in 5 of its last 7 games. Michigan State lost to Iowa and Ohio State as massive favorites, and lost to Indiana as 3.5 point favorites. Mississippi State has had issues at times this season as well, but the Bulldogs are one of the best defensive teams in the tournament. Mississippi State is 66th in field goal defense and eighth in three point defense. Mississippi State recently held Tennessee to 56 points on 31 percent shooting. Mississippi State is an annoying team that can make things ugly. I like Mississippi State to get the win here and give UNC a fight in the next round.
