The Michigan State Spartans will face the Syracuse Orange in the second round of the NCAA Tournament and opened as 8-point faves to survive and advance. The Spartans failed to cover vs Bucknell and now will need to regroup and change their game plan to overcome Syracuse’s patented zone defense.
- Syracuse is 4-0 SU and 3-1 ATS in its last four games with one day off between games.
- The total has gone UNDER in six of Michigan State’s last eight games.
- Michigan State is 6-2 SU in eight games on a neutral court this season.
On paper, the Spartans have much more talent than the Orange and should escape with a victory but it’s very troubling when a popular pick to win the whole tournament collapses like that at the end of a game.
Michigan State was leading Bucknell by 15 points with two minutes left before a late flurry from the Bison killed any chance of the Spartans covering. But the good news for bettors planning to back Michigan State is the Spartans are 8-1 SU in their last nine games vs teams with winning records and have covered in four of their last five games vs ACC teams.
Syracuse, meanwhile, took care of business vs the TCU Horned Frogs with a 57-52 victory and held TCU to 32 points less than its season average. However, scoring has been an issue all year for the Orange and leading scorers Tyus Battle, Oshae Brissett and Frank Howard combined to go 10-for-39 from the field vs the Horned Frogs.
Defense shouldn’t be an issue for Syracuse in this matchup but to beat Michigan State, the Orange may need to top 70 points, which they’ve only accomplished four times in their last 10 games. If bettors like to cling to historical trends, they should know that ’Cuse is 4-0 SU and ATS in its last four games vs Michigan State.
Syracuse Orange vs Michigan State Spartans Matchup
Team Betting Records & Power Rankings
This college basketball season, the Michigan State Spartans are 30-4 overall and 15-17-2 ATS, while the Syracuse Orange are 22-13 and 16-17 ATS. As for the betting totals, Michigan State boasts a 18-16 mark on the OU, and Syracuse is 14-19.
This game puts the Spartans, most recently No. 58 in the OddsShark power rankings, up against the Orange, who rate No. 193 in the latest survey.
Statistical Matchup
When it comes to rebounds, the visiting Syracuse Orange rank No. 65 in NCAA Basketball Division 1 with 37.4 per game. That compares with Michigan State’s No. 7 ranking in that category. The story is different when it comes to three-point shooting where Michigan State is college basketball's No. 92-ranked team at 8.29 treys per game, while the Syracuse Orange rate No. 244 with 5.8 per game.
Recent Outings Betting Recap
The Orange got 17 points from Marek Dolezaj as Syracuse downed TCU 57-52 on Friday at Little Sportsbook Arena.
The Spartans got 29 points from Miles Bridges as Michigan State got past Bucknell 82-78 on Friday at Little Sportsbook Arena.
