Michigan State won the Big Ten tournament title, but did so in less-than-spectacular fashion. The Spartans barely scraped by Maryland 65-61, then beat Purdue by a narrow 66-62 margin. Those performances saw the Spartans miss out on a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. They can now unleash their frustrations on the No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders.
The Blue Raiders won’t be pushovers, however. They’re the C-USA tournament champions and are riding a six-game win streak. They didn’t inspire too much confidence, though with just a 55-53 win over Old Dominion in the conference championship final.
There’s going to be some hellish weeks for the NCAA tournament. Get things started with our complete previews for the Midwest’s No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 9 Butler and the West’s No. 6 Texas vs. No. 11 Northern Iowa.
March Madness News & Predictions
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March Madness No. 2 Michigan State vs. No. 15 Middle Tennessee Preview
Where: Scottrade Center, St. Louis
When: Friday, March 18, 2:45 PM ET
Line: Michigan State Spartans (-18) vs. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (+18); total 143.5 – view all NCAA Basketball lines
TV Broadcast: CBS
Betting on the Michigan State Spartans
There’s nothing that the Michigan State Spartans can’t do on the court. They can score a lot (80.7 points per game, 22nd in the nation), rebound (42.1 per game, sixth), assist (21 per game, first), block (5.23 per game, 23rd) and shoot threes (43.9 percent, first).
It’s not the all-Valentine show at Michigan State, though. He has plenty of help from the likes of Bryn Forbes, Matt Costello and Eron Harris. Costello leads the team with 8.2 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Forbes and Harris can make it rain threes, making 48 and 43 percent of their three-point shots respectively.
The Spartans are 5-0 SU/ATS in their last four games as double digit favorites.
Betting on the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
Middle Tennessee ended its season in style with a six-game win streak. Offense is the name of the game for the Blue Raiders. They’re averaging 72.7 points per game this season. They also have a pretty good defense, limiting opponents to just 68.3 points per game.
While the Spartans are the nation’s best three-point shooting team, the Blue Raiders can counter with their own sharpshooter. Giddy Potts leads the nation in three-point field goal percentage (50.3 percent). He also leads the team with 15 points per game.
Potts has a solid partner on the court with Reggie Upshaw, who’s averaged 13.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season. He’s the reason why Middle Tennessee is in the Big Dance. He was clutch, sinking two free throws with just three seconds left to win the C-USA tournament championship game.
The three-ball will be important in this game. Potts is a solid sharpshooter as we’ve mentioned. He’ll be joined by fellow shooters senior forwards Perrin Buford and Darnell Harris on the court. Buford is making 42 percent of his three-pointers this season, while Harris is shooting at a 40 percent clip.
Buford and Harrison will be excellent offensive threats in this game. They both can pound the ball inside and stretch the defense with their outside shooting.
The Blue Raiders are 5-1 ATS in their six-game win streak.
Writer’s Prediction
Michigan State unleashes their frustrations on Middle Tennessee in a blowout. The Spartans cover -18.
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