Stunned. That was the feeling around college basketball when Virginia got the No. 1 seed in this bracket instead of Michigan St. Now the Spartans have a chip on their shoulder and will be looking to prove they should have been the top seed. The first team in their path to a potential Elite Eight matchup with UVA will be the Middle Tennessee St Blue Raiders.
College Basketball Odds at BookMaker.eu
Michigan St Spartans -17.5
Middle Tennessee St Blue Raiders +17.5
Over/Under 144
HOW THE MICHIGAN ST SPARTANS WILL COVER THE SPREAD
The Spartans have kicked it into another gear as of late, systematically dismantling each of their opponents following an early February loss to Purdue up until the Big Ten semi-finals where they gritted out a win against Maryland before exacting revenge against Purdue in the finals to win a Big Ten Conference Title. Michigan St is loaded with talent and poised to make a deep postseason run.
Denzel Valentine is the heart of the Spartans and his all-around high level of play makes them extremely difficult to beat. The hometown senior is averaging 19.6 PPG, 7.5 RPG, and 7.5 APG. He is one of the frontrunners for the Naismith Award and has been dominant all season long.
Valentine and Bryn Forbes are two of the deadliest three point shooters in the country and what makes them so great is they both shoot at a great percentage while being high volume shooters. Both Valentine and Forbes are averaging 3.4 made three pointers a game with Valentine hitting 45.4 percent and Forbes nailing 50.5 percent.
In addition to these gaudy numbers, the Spartans are one of the top five rebounding teams in the country making them a very popular pick to reach the Final Four.
HOW THE MIDDLE TENNESSEE ST BLUE RAIDERS WILL COVER THE SPREAD
Middle Tennessee State won the Conference USA Tournament in order to get here and without that automatic berth, the Blue Raiders wouldn't have made the dance. MTSU lost both games to regular season conference champion UAB by double digits, but an early round exit by UAB opened the door for the Blue Raiders to get the bid.
The Blue Raiders have a few solid shooters on their roster in Giddy Potts, Reggie Upshaw and Perrin Buford. All three are shooting at least 48.5 percent from the field and are MTSU's top three rebounders as well. Potts is a lethal three point shooter in his own right, hitting 49.3 percent of his treys.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
Michigan St covered its last 11 games of the regular season in order to finish with a Big Ten best 22-11 record against the spread. During that stretch eight of the 11 games went over the total, but all three of the Spartans' games during the conference tournament went under the number.
MTSU closed out the year covering five of its last six games to finish with a 17-14 ATS mark. Five of its last six games also went over the total.
It's a real shame that the Blue Raiders had to draw Michigan St. MTSU is a team that could be a real Cinderella story against another lower seeded opponent, but Michigan St is just too talented.
The Spartans can name their score here and the question is how long Izzo keeps the starters on the floor before calling off the dogs.
Michigan St 82, Middle Tennessee St 62
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Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook! Bet on college basketball today as the Michigan St Spartans and the Middle Tennessee St Blue Raiders square off Friday, March 18, 2016 at 2:45 p.m. ET at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. The matchup will be televised nationally on CBS.
