The Michigan State Spartans are in unfamiliar territory, sitting on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament bubble as the regular season hits its stretch run. They need to string some wins together the rest of the way and have a nice opportunity to pick up a quality win against the Purdue Boilermakers this week.
Michigan State is only our games above .500, which is unusual for one of the best programs in the country. The Spartans get this one at home, so the spread may be slightly against them but a win is certainly possible. Purdue is playing well and is only a half-game back of first place in the Big Ten, although there are a lot of teams huddled up near the top.
This looks like it could be a competitive showdown with both sides aiming to capture the victory.
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Odds at BookMaker.eu
Purdue is 16-4 straight up and 11-6 against the spread. The Boilermakers have played in four true road games and have only covered in one of them. They will aim to do better in this matchup.
Purdue is 11-4 against the spread as a favorite this season. The Boilermakers have only been the underdog twice this season and failed to cover both times.
Michigan State is 12-8 straight up and 9-10 against the spread. The Spartans are 6-6 against the spread as the favorite this season and have covered three times in seven attempts as the underdog.
Player to Watch
Miles Bridges -- Michigan State’s talented freshman had a rough start to his career, missing seven games early on because of an ankle injury. However, he has since returned to the lineup and has taken over as the team’s most important player.
Bridges leads the team in scoring with 15.1 points per game and adds 8.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per contest. He shoots 47.5 percent from the field and almost 40 percent from the three-point line, able to attack teams inside and out.
Bridges had a rough two-game stretch earlier in Big Ten play when he only scored 10 combined points against Rutgers and Penn State, but has rebounded of late. He scored 16 in an upset of Minnesota, scored 24 in a loss to Ohio State and had a double-double last time out against Indiana.
The Spartans haven’t gotten demonstrably better with Bridges back on the floor, but he is a talented piece and gives optimism that the end of the season will be better than the start.
Key Stat
12.5. That’s the number of rebounds per game Purdue star Caleb Swanigan hauls down per game. He will be a big key to this game, as Michigan State must do what it can to keep him off the glass, especially on the offensive end.
Purdue has outrebounded Michigan State by an average of two rebounds per game and hope that Swanigan can lead the way in getting extra possessions. He also leads the team in scoring at 18.5 points per game and shoots 55.9 percent from the field, so the Spartans have to keep an eye on him at all times.
Free College Basketball ATS Picks
Michigan State has great pedigree but has failed to put it all together this year and enters on a two-game losing streak after getting off to a hot start in the conference. The Spartans don’t have much room for error the rest of the way and this would be a big win.
Purdue is hoping to make a push for the conference championship. This isn’t an easy game on the road but one the Boilermakers are capable of winning. While this one could come down to the wire, Michigan State is the pick to defend home court and come away with the win.
College Basketball Odds: Michigan State 79, Purdue 76
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