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The Michigan State Spartans are the team to beat in the Big Ten. After an early season loss to Duke, this team has crushed the competition and beaten every other team it has faced by at least 10 points. Michigan State recently moved up to No. 1 in the AP poll following Villanova’s loss to Butler over the weekend and looks set to grab one of the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans will be facing an injury-depleted Maryland Terrapins squad on Thursday night.
This war on the floor will go down Thursday, January 4, 2018, at 8 p.m. ET at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Michigan. The game will be televised live on FS1. We'll have NCAA basketball odds at BookMaker.eu available for this and every game on the college basketball Thursday schedule.
Opening College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Maryland has gotten off to a good start this year. The Terps are 11-4, and have won six straight games against mediocre foes. They covered the number in all but one of those games and have looked solid defensively too. On the season, Maryland is 7-4 ATS and the under is 6-4 in Terrapins games.
Give Michigan State credit for continuing to cover big numbers. The Spartans have covered each of their last four games despite being favored by at least 30 points each time they stepped onto the floor. They are 10-5 ATS on the season and over is 6-2 in Spartans’ home games.
Key Injuries
The injury bug has bit Maryland hard this week.
Maryland suffered a huge blow when it was announced that Justin Jackson would miss the rest of the season after tearing the labrum in his right shoulder. Jackson was the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 8.1 rebounds per game, and was a major presence on the defensive side of the ball. He was averaging two blocks per game and played very good defense. He will certainly be missed, especially against a team with talented big men like Michigan State.
More bad news struck on New Year’s Eve when word came out that another forward would be lost for the season too. Ivan Bender was expected to see more minutes in the rotation after Jackson’s injury, but tore the meniscus in his right knee against UMBC. Now, Maryland is seriously lacking in terms of big men.
Key Stats
Michigan State might be the most complete team in the nation at this point. The Spartans have trounced quality foes like North Carolina and Notre Dame, and are big favorites to win the conference too.
The Spartans are the second-best shooting team in the country in terms of field goal percentage. It’s not often you say that about a Tom Izzo team, but Michigan State has some talented ball-handlers that have been able to pass the ball around in order to help create great looks. They are averaging 22 assists per game, an amazingly high number.
This team has also proven it can lock opponents down with good defense. Although Michigan State has certainly padded its numbers with its recent slate, the Spartans really put the clamps on both North Carolina and Notre Dame. The Spartans are holding opponents to 32.9 percent shooting from the floor.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Maryland will be in a tough spot in another area too. Whereas the Spartans last played on New Year’s Eve, the Terrapins have a game against Penn State on Tuesday night. That will give them less than 48 hours of rest before a road tilt against the No. 1 Spartans.
The Spartans’ frontcourt will be too much for Maryland in this one. Miles Bridges looks set to be an All-American with his play this season, and he should dominate down low against Maryland. No one has the athleticism to contain him, so look for a big game from Bridges in a rout.
College Basketball Odds: Michigan State 85, Maryland 68
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