Michigan State Spartans vs Michigan Wolverines Prediction, 1/8/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Michigan Wolverines

Date: Saturday, January 8, 2022

Location: Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, MI

TV: FOX

Crisler Center is where the Michigan Wolverines (7-6) will take on the Michigan State Spartans (13-2) on Saturday.

The Michigan State Spartans took the court against Nebraska and earned the victory with a final of 79-67 in their last contest. In regard to fouls, the Spartans ended up with 12 while Nebraska recorded 15 fouls. They also converted 7 out of their 23 tries from three-point range. Nebraska went 54.5% from the free throw line by knocking down 6 of 11 tries. Moreover, Nebraska pulled down 25 rebounds (4 offensive, 21 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Nebraska distributed 15 assists and had 12 steals for this contest. With regard to defending, Michigan State allowed the other team to shoot 45.0% from the floor on 27 out of 60 shooting. They also dished out 18 assists for this contest as well as forcing the opposition into 15 turnovers and getting 13 steals. With regard to grabbing rebounds, they collected 37 with 9 of them being on the offensive end. At the charity stripe, the Spartans converted 13 of their 19 tries for a rate of 68.4%. Michigan State finished the game having earned a 51.8% field goal percentage (29 out of 56) and buried 8 of their 17 shots from beyond the perimeter.

Max Christie is one player who had an impact in this game. He went 77.8% from the field and distributed 1 assist. He played 31 minutes and snagged 4 boards. He ended up walking away with 21 points on 7 of 9 shooting.

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Michigan State comes into this contest with a win-loss mark of 13-2 so far this season. They average 75.8 pts per contest (99th in Division 1) while connecting on 46.5% from the field. The Spartans are connecting on 39.3% on shots from beyond the arc (118 of 300) and 72.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Michigan State is snagging 41.0 rebounds per contest and has 254 assists on the season, which ranks 9th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. They lose possession by turning the ball over 14.4 times per contest and as a team are committing 15.3 personal fouls every game.

Defensively, the Spartans are forcing 11.3 turnovers per game while drawing 18.4 personal fouls. They relinquish 28.9% on 3-point shots and they rank 107th in the nation in points per game allowed (65.5). The Spartans defensively are allowing a field goal percentage of 39.2% (363 of 925) and they relinquish 32.2 rebounds per game as a group. They are 253rd in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 180 conceded for the season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Michigan Wolverines went home defeated by a final of 75-67 against Rutgers. The Wolverines pulled down 24 defensive boards and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 29 for the game. They coughed up the ball 8 times, while earning 5 steals in this game. Rutgers earned 18 personal fouls for the contest which got the Wolverines to the free throw line for a total of 13 tries. They were able to convert 10 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 76.9%. With respect to 3-pointers, Michigan converted 3 out of 15 attempts (20.0%). When the final whistle was blown, the Wolverines went 27 for 59 from the field which had them shooting 45.8%. The Wolverines permitted Rutgers to make 27 out of their 56 attempts from the floor which had them at 48.2% in the matchup. They finished the game shooting 47.8% from beyond the perimeter by going 11 out of 23 and finished the contest at 10 of 17 from the free throw line (58.8%). When it comes to how they rebounded, Michigan allowed Rutgers to grab 37 in all (8 on the offensive glass).

Hunter Dickinson was important for the Wolverines for the contest. He buried 10 out of 16 for the contest for a field goal rate of 62.5%, and totaled 5 rebounds. He recorded 25 points in his 38 mins on the hardwood and accounted for 2 assists in this game.

Michigan has a win-loss record of 7-6 so far this year. As an offense, the Wolverines are connecting on 47.1% from the floor, which is ranked 62nd in college basketball. Michigan has totaled 946 points on the year (72.8 per contest) and they average 38.6 rebounds per game. They are assisting teammates 14.2 times per contest (131st in college basketball) and they turn it over 12.6 times per contest. The Wolverines are responsible for committing 15.0 fouls per game while shooting 68.0% from the charity stripe.

The Michigan defense surrenders 29.0% on shots from beyond the arc (88 of 303) and opponents are knocking down 70.5% of their shots from the charity stripe. They allow 10.2 assists and 31.9 total boards per game, which is ranked 47th and 68th in the nation. The Wolverines on the defensive end are ranked 141st in college hoops in PPG given up with 66.8. They have forced 9.9 turnovers on a nightly basis and have let teams shoot 40.9% from the field (106th in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA basketball game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Michigan State

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