Duke vs. Michigan St. Pick
Will Michigan State be any kind of match for No. 5 Duke when the two meet up tonight in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge?
According to oddsmakers at Bovada.lv, Duke is the clear favorite in this game, as the Blue Devils are getting odds of -11.5 points against Michigan State. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 144.5 points. Duke has won five straight meetings with Michigan State and the Blue Devils have covered in three straight against the Spartans.
Bet on Michigan State vs. Duke
Duke is now 6-1 on the season following a 93-58 win over Appalachian State on Saturday. The Blue Devils are just 3-3 against the spread on the season and 2-2 ATS in games as a double-digit favorite. Duke has been pretty impressive when it comes to the numbers, as it is posting 85.6 points per game on offense while allowing just 63.6 points per contest. Duke has a strong balance of scoring, with each of the five starters averaging over 11 points per game. Luke Kennard, Grayson Allen and Frank Jackson each are putting up 16 points or more this season. Allen is listed as questionable for the game with an ankle injury, however.
Michigan State is coming off a 77-72 win over Wichita State in the Battle 4 Atlantis to move to 4-3 on the season. The Spartans are just 2-4 against the spread this year and 1-2 ATS in games as an underdog. They have struggled against ranked opponents, going 0-3 on the year and 0-2 against the spread. That includes a 21-point loss to Kentucky and 15-point loss to Baylor. The Spartans are holding opponents to just 67.3 points per game, but the offense is only scoring 71 points per contest. MSU has some talented freshmen, led by Miles Bridges, who is averaging 17.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, but MSU lacks depth in the frontcourt.
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Michigan State could be a team that could be tough come March, but the Spartans are in trouble right now with such a young, inexperienced squad. Bridges can compete with anyone, but he doesn’t have enough consistent offensive talent around him to compete with a team like Duke. The Blue Devils should be able to exploit some matchup advantages against this this MSU team and cruise to a win.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL DAILY PREDICTION: DUKE -11.5