A tough matchup in the East Region has the No. 3 LSU Tigers tipping off against the No. 2 Michigan State Spartans in the Sweet 16. LSU has been in a pair of nail-biters through its first two games during March Madness, edging Yale and Maryland, while Michigan State has taken care of business with decisive wins over Bradley and Minnesota for its Sweet 16 berth. The Spartans are a 6-point favorite in this game with the total Sportsbook at 149 points.
LSU vs Michigan State Game Center
Standout Stats
- Both teams have been playing at a pretty high clip recently. LSU has gone 7-1 SU and 5-3 ATS in its last eight games, but is 0-3 ATS in its last three. Michigan State is 7-0 SU and 5-2 ATS through its last seven games with an average winning margin of 11.71.
- The UNDER has been the smart play when taking a total for LSU down the stretch with five of its last seven contests going UNDER, while Michigan State has gone OVER in four of its last seven games. Of the Tigers’ last seven matches, two went OVER 149 points, and only one of the Spartans’ last seven games went OVER 149 points.
- Scoring hasn’t been much of an issue for either of these squads with LSU chipping in 80.9 ppg and Michigan State pouring in 78.5 ppg. The Spartans have the massive advantage defensively, surrendering just 65.1 ppg while LSU allows 72.9 ppg.
- Michigan State and LSU both elect to pick up the majority of their points from inside the arc, however, the Spartans do take more three-point attempts overall. The Spartans are very effective offensively, with an overall shooting percentage of 48.6, while the Tigers hit 45.9 percent of their attempts from the floor. Defensively, Michigan State ranks third in opponent overall shooting percentage at 37.7. LSU ranks 114th with its foes hitting 43 percent from the floor.
- With the majority of points coming from two-point range for these two teams, it should come as no surprise that they are both good at cleaning the glass with Michigan State grabbing 40.9 rebounds per game, while LSU secures 38.9 boards per game. Ball possession has been a bit of an issue for both teams, but the Tigers have the edge in takeaways as they create 14.7 turnovers per game, while the Spartans only create 10.1 takeaways per game.
My Best Bet for LSU vs Michigan State
Michigan State -6
Defensive teams have caused issues for LSU down the stretch as Florida beat the Tigers twice and Maryland had them on the brink in the Round of 32, and Michigan State’s defense is a notch above those teams.
Additionally, the Spartans have a better offense than those squads and I have a hard time seeing the Tigers hanging tough. The one edge that may allow LSU to put pressure on Michigan State is in the turnover battle but I think all the other aspects work in favor of the Spartans.
