Michigan State Spartans vs Mississippi State Bulldogs Prediction, 3/21/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Mississippi State Bulldogs

Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024

Location: Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC

TV: CBS

Odds/Point Spread: Michigan State (-3)

The Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-13) will play the Michigan State Spartans (19-14) at Spectrum Center on Thursday in the NCAA Tournament. Michigan State opens this contest as 3-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The total is 130.5.

The Michigan State Spartans faced off with Purdue and took a loss by a final of 67-62 in their last contest. With respect to fouls, the Spartans finished with 29 and Purdue recorded 17 fouls. They also knocked down 5 of 14 attempts from distance. Purdue finished the game shooting 66.7% at the free throw line by converting 18 of their 27 tries. Moreover, Purdue snagged 30 boards (7 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Purdue earned 19 dimes and had 7 steals in this game. When it comes to defense, Michigan State allowed 41.5% from the field on 22 of 53 shooting. They also doled out 15 dimes for this game as well as forcing the opposition into 11 turnovers and having 4 steals. When it comes to grabbing boards, they compiled 35 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. From the charity stripe, the Spartans converted 10 of their 12 shots for a rate of 83.3%. Michigan State finished the contest having earned a 39.3% field goal percentage (24 of 61) and made 4 of their 18 3-point shots.

Tyson Walker is a guy who was a factor for the game. He racked up 15 points on 6 out of 18 shooting. He was on the court for 34 mins and grabbed 2 boards. He shot 33.3% from the field and recorded 1 assist.

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Michigan State will play this game with a mark of 19-14 on the season. They cough up possession 9.8 times per game and as a group are committing 16.5 personal fouls every game. As a unit, Michigan State is pulling in 34.6 boards per game and has totaled 538 assists on the campaign, which is 25th in the nation in terms of passing the ball. The Spartans are shooting 35.9% on 3-point shots (211 of 587) and 70.6% from the free throw line. They have an average of 73.1 pts per contest (190th in Division 1) while connecting on 46.1% from the floor.

On defense, the Spartans are forcing 12.5 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.1 personal fouls. They concede 32.8% on 3-point attempts and they are 27th in D-1 in points per game allowed (65.9). The Spartans are giving up a FG percentage of 41.2% (752 of 1,824) and they surrender 33.8 boards per game as a basketball team. They rank 177th in college basketball in giving up assists with 413 surrendered on the year.

The last time they took the court, the Mississippi State Bulldogs took a loss by a final score of 73-66 against Auburn. In the matter of cleaning the glass, Mississippi State allowed Auburn to grab 26 overall (6 offensive). They shot 31.6% from beyond the arc by connecting on 6 of 19 and ended up shooting 17 of 22 from the free throw line (77.3%). The Bulldogs permitted Auburn to bury 25 of 50 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 50.0% for the game. When this game wrapped up, the Bulldogs walked away from this one shooting 23 for 56 from the floor which had them shooting 41.1%. In the matter of 3-pointers, Mississippi State converted 3 of 15 attempts (20.0%). They were able to make 17 of them for a rate of 63.0%. Auburn had 20 personal fouls in this game which got the Bulldogs to the free throw line for 27 shots. They also coughed up the ball 11 times, while getting 11 steals in this matchup. The Bulldogs snagged 18 defensive boards and 14 offensive boards totaling 32 for the contest.

Josh Hubbard was important for the Bulldogs in this game. He converted 6 out of 17 for the game for a field goal percentage of 35.3%, but couldn't coral a rebound. He scored 20 points in his 35 minutes on the hardwood and earned 1 assist in this matchup.

Mississippi State has a record of 21-13 for the campaign. On the offensive side of the court, the Bulldogs are connecting on 45.5% from the field, which ranks 120th in college hoops. Mississippi State has earned 2,542 points so far this year (74.8 per game) and they collect 38.4 rebounds per game. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 14.1 times per contest (116th in Division 1) and they turn the ball over 12.9 times per game. The Bulldogs are responsible for committing 16.7 fouls every game and they connect on 67.2% from the charity stripe.

The Mississippi State defense concedes 29.4% on three-point shots (237 of 807) and their opponents are converting on 75.1% of their free throw attempts. They have given up 11.6 dimes and 32.5 boards per game, which is ranked 79th and 51st in college hoops. The Bulldogs on defense are ranked 92nd in college basketball in PPG given up with 69.1. They are forcing 12.6 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.6% from the floor (52nd in college basketball).

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

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Michigan State (-3)

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