The Bradley Braves have earned a berth in the national tournament for the first time since 2006 as they lock horns with the Michigan State Spartans in the Round of 64. Bradley enters this game having won five of its last six, including the MVC tournament title game, while Michigan State has won 10 of its last 11, including the Big Ten championship tilt. The Spartans are 4-0 all-time vs the Braves and are an 18-point favorite with the total Sportsbook at 134 points.
Bradley vs Michigan State Game Center
Standout Stats
- Both teams have been red-hot recently as Bradley is 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in its last six contests, while Michigan State is 10-1 SU and 8-3 ATS in its last 11. The Braves have been in some nail-biters through their last six games, though, winning four by three or fewer points, while six of the Spartans’ last 10 wins have come by 10 or more points.
- The UNDER has been a profitable play for totals bettors with these two teams recently, as the total has gone UNDER in seven of Michigan State’s last 11 games and in seven of Bradley’s last nine. These O/U stats over the last few weeks also hold true against the Sportsbook total of 134 points, with seven of the Spartans’ last 11 either pushing or going UNDER, and seven of Bradley’s last nine going UNDER.
- Michigan State and Bradley have been on completely different ends of the spectrum for scoring this season as the Spartans are averaging 78.8 ppg to rank 34th in the country, while the Braves sit in 300th with 66.4 ppg. However, these two squads match up well defensively, with Bradley’s opponents only scoring 65.2 ppg and Michigan State’s foes chipping in 65.5 ppg.
- The two squads have basically an identical approach to the game offensively, having the ability to knock down triples but with the majority of their offense coming inside the arc. However, the execution isn’t on the same level with Michigan State ranking 12th in college basketball with a 48.6 shooting percentage while Bradley only hits 43.2 percent of its attempts.
- Defensively, the Braves hold their opponents to a 41.1 shooting percentage, but once again the Spartans are better by limiting their opponents to a 37.8 shooting percentage.
- The Spartans will have the edge on the glass, securing 40.9 boards per game to the Braves’ 34.1.
My Best Bet for Bradley vs Michigan State
Michigan State -18
These two teams approach the game in a similar fashion, but the Spartans simply outmatch the Braves in nearly every aspect. Although Bradley has a good defense, it’s nothing Michigan State hasn’t seen before as it is coming off three straight weekends against Michigan, which has the second-best defense in the nation. I don’t see a way the Braves can hang offensively with Sparty and this could get ugly in a hurry.
