Penn State vs. Michigan State Pick
Will Michigan State pick up an important win today when it faces Penn State at 2:25PM ET in the Big Ten Tournament?
According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Michigan State is the slight favorite in this game, as the Spartans are getting odds of -5 points against Penn State. The over/under total for the game is listed at 137 points. Penn State won the lone meeting this season, 72-63 back on Jan. 7. These two meet today from the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
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Michigan State is the fifth seed in this tournament after going 10-8 in the Big Ten and 18-13 overall. The Spartans come into this tournament limping somewhat, losing their last two games. They also have lost their last four games away from home and sit at 16-14 against the spread on the season. MSU averages 72 points per game on offense while allowing 69.1 on defense. Miles Bridges is averaging 16.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game to lead the team while Nick Ward is averaging 13.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Penn State is the 13 seed in this tournament. The Nittany Lions beat Nebraska last night, 76-67 in OT, to advance to today’s game and to improve to 15-17 on the season. The Nittany Lions are 15-13-1 against the spread on the season as well. PSU is averaging 72.4 points per game on offense this year while allowing 72.6 on defense. Tony Carr is leading the team with 13.1 points per game while Lamar Stevens adds 12.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Michigan State has been a scary team at the betting window. The Spartans are hard to trust away from East Lansing and have already lost to Penn State. Still, MSU has been playing better in recent weeks. The two road losses last week were both by three points and they had double-digit wins at home over Nebraska and Wisconsin. Tom Izzo’s freshmen class is showing improvement and I think the previous loss to Penn State will motivate the Spartans to getting a big win today.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: MICHIGAN STATE -5