The No. 3 Michigan State Spartans will be taking on the No. 6 Memphis Tigers on Saturday in Round of 32 NCAA Tournament action out of the Midwest, with both teams coming off Thursday wins.
Michigan State got past No. 14 Valparaiso on Thursday, winning 65-54 and just covering the 10-point spread on the March Madness odds at the sportsbooks. Memphis slipped past No. 11 Saint Mary's 54-52 in the Round of 64, getting a push on the 2-point spread.
Michigan State battles the Tigers, currently sitting with a 31-4 mark (16-16 ATS). The OVER/UNDER records, always important for totals bettors, are 13-17 for the Spartans and 20-9-1 for the Tigers.
View Memphis vs Michigan State Odds and Stats.
Betting Line:
If you were backing the visitors in this one, the Tigers were listed as 5.5-point underdogs earlier in the day at Sportsbook. The total was 130.5 along with a bonus of up to $250.
Power Rankings / Prediction:
The Odds Shark Power Rankings have the Spartans at No. 9 and the Tigers at No. 23 heading into this contest. Handicapping models at Odds Shark project a 77-76 result in favor of the Tigers.
How They Match Up:
In the paint, the rebound battle will feature Michigan State's No. 47-rated squad against Memphis's No. 39-rated roster. And in long-range shooting, Michigan State rates No. 292 in the country with 5 per game, while their foes tonight rank No. 159 nationally with 6.1 per match.
Comparing how these foes stack up statistically, Memphis owns the country's No. 90-rated mark, allowing 66.2 points per game on the highway. Michigan State, on the other hand, rates No. 160 in scoring at home.
Last time out for Memphis, they were a 54-52 Sportsbook as they battled St. Mary's at home. They covered in the match as a 1.5-point favorite. Memphis got 14 points from Joe Jackson en route to a 54-52 victory over St. Mary's on Thursday at Palace of Auburn Hills.
Last time out for Michigan State, they were a 65-54 Sportsbook as they battled Valparaiso at home. They covered in the match as a 9.5-point favorite. Derrick Nix scored 23 points and helped out with 15 rebounds for Michigan State on Thursday, leading the Spartans to a 65-54 victory over Valparaiso at Palace of Auburn Hills.
A few Tigers at Spartans trends to consider:
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Michigan State's last 7 games
Michigan State is 4-1 SU in its last 5 games
Michigan State is 3-5-1 ATS in its last 9 games
