The No. 1 Virginia Cavaliers rolled into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on the weekend, putting them next up against No. 4 Michigan State on the East Region March Madness odds on Friday.
Virgina got past No. 16 Coastal Carolina in their first game of the tournament before cruising past No. 8 Memphis in the Round of 32 on Sunday. Michigan State has picked up wins over No. 13 Delaware and No. 12 Harvard in their two outings.
The only time since 1996 that a 4 was favored vs a 1, No. 4 Louisville beat Washington in 2005. And that's the situation here where the Spartans are favored by 2 points at Sportsbook over top-ranked Virginia (the total was 127 at Sportsbook.
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Michigan State is 6-1 ATS in its past seven games and has played four straight UNDERs in Sweet 16 play. The Spartans are just 3-7 SU vs 1 seeds since 1996.
Top seeds are 12-4 SU past 16 games vs No. 4 seeds, giving a significant trend edge to the Cavs, who are 18-1 SU in their past 19 games overall.
Odds Shark computer pick - 67.2-66.0 Cavaliers
Virginia will face the 28-8 Spartans, who own a 21-13-1 ATS mark on the season. In totals betting, the Cavaliers are 14-17-1 on the OU so far this season while the Spartans are 19-16.
View Michigan State Spartans vs Virginia Cavaliers Odds and Stats.
The Power Rankings at Odds Shark show No. 36-rated Michigan State taking on the No. 24-rated Cavaliers in this contest.
In their last action, Michigan State was an 80-73 Sportsbook at home against Harvard. They failed to cover the 8.5-point spread as favorites. The Crimson were burned for 26 points by Branden Dawson on Saturday as the Spartans put another game in the win column, 80-73, at Spokane Arena.
Virginia was a 78-60 Sportsbook in their most recent outing at home against Memphis. They covered the 6.5-point spread as favorites. Virginia earned a 78-60 victory over Memphis on Sunday, getting 16 points from Joe Harris at PNC Arena.
How They Match Up:
In the paint, the rebound battle will feature Virginia's No. 112-rated squad against Michigan State's No. 48-rated roster. And in long-range shooting, Virginia rates No. 174 in the country with 5.56 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 21 nationally with 8.08 per match.
A few Spartans at Cavaliers trends to consider:
Michigan State is 6-1 ATS in its last 7 games
Michigan State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Michigan State's last 7 games
Virginia is 17-5-1 ATS in its last 23 games
Virginia is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
The total has gone OVER in 5 of Virginia's last 7 games
