2024 NCAA Tournament: Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Michigan State Spartans

March 21, 2024

Another exciting matchup awaits in the West Region. The ninth-seed Michigan State Spartans (19-14) will compete against the eight-seed Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-13) in the opening round of the Men's Basketball Championship on Thursday, March 21^st, at 12:15 PM ET in the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. This should be a close matchup, as the Spartans have a point spread set at -1.5 (-105).

Michigan State Spartans Betting Preview

Despite a recent loss, the Spartans should have some swagger heading into this matchup. Their recent defeat was a 67-62 outing against the third-ranked Purdue Boilermakers in the Quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament, where Tyson Walker led with 15 points for the Spartans.

They capped off their regular season with a 10-10 conference record and a sixth-place ranking in the conference. Walker leads their scoring with 18.2 points per game and makes 44.2 percent of his field goals. He will need another outstanding performance to push them ahead here.

They are accumulating 73.1 points per game and rank 190^th in the nation. Their offensive efficiency comes in at 109.7 and ranks 114^th. This is a solid start compared to their defense.

On the other hand, they hold teams to 65.9 points per game, ranking 27^th. They also have a defensive rating of 98.9, ranking 57^th.

Mississippi State Bulldogs Betting Preview

The Bulldogs came up short in the SEC Semifinal when they were defeated 73-66 against the 12^th-ranked Auburn Tigers. Josh Hubbard will need to carry over his momentum for scoring, as he dropped 20 points in the loss.

It is surprising to see them make it this far, especially since they went 7-11 in conference play and ranked 10^th there. Hubbard has been averaging 17.1 points per game and will be huge for their success here.

There is little room for error when comparing their offense and defense. They are putting in 74.9 points per game and have established a rank of 139^th, while their efficiency on this end ranks 120^th with a rating of 109.3.

Defensively, they allow their opponents to average 73.9 points per game, ranking 244^th. Their efficiency in obtaining stops ranks 285^th, with a rating of 107.8.

Odds, Series Trends, and Free Pick

MyBookie shows the odds for this battle, with the Michigan State Spartans as 1.5-point favorites to succeed. Looking into market insights, they have a 59.0 percent chance of winning.

The Bulldogs do not have a large margin of victory, which is concerning against a hungry Spartans team looking for redemption. The Spartans should be able to find success and cover the spread accordingly.

Final Pick: Michigan State Spartans -1.5 (-110)

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