Michigan State vs. Mississippi March Madness Preview and Prediction
In the No. 2 vs. No. 6 matchup in the NCAA Tournament South Region, the Michigan State Spartans take on the Mississippi Rebels in Sweet 16 action.
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How to Watch Michigan State vs. Mississippi
When: 7:09 pm ET on Friday, March 28th
Where: State Farm Stadium in Atlanta, GA
Watch: CBS
Odds for Michigan State vs. Mississippi
(odds current at time of publish)
Spread: Michigan State -3.5 (-110), Mississippi +3.5 (-110)
Total: Over 142.5 (-110), Under 142.5 (-110)
DraftKings Betting Splits | Live College Basketball Odds | Michigan State vs. Mississippi Matchup Page
Michigan State vs. Mississippi Preview & Prediction
Mississippi head coach Chris Beard was 10 years old when Tom Izzo signed on as an assistant coach at Michigan State. When Izzo got the head gig in 1995, Beard was a graduate assistant at Incarnate Word. Now the 70-year-old Izzo and 52-year-old Beard square off in the Sweet 16 with a chance to move one step closer to the ultimate prize of a National Championship.
The Rebels played about as good of a game as they could in the second round against Iowa State. They won the turnover battle, shot 58% from the floor and 58% from 3, and never trailed after being down 15-13 with more than 13 minutes left in the first half. Michigan State, meanwhile, got a healthy scare from New Mexico for a while before securing an eight-point win. The Spartans also had some issues early on dealing with Bryant before pulling away.
So, we’ll see what the Sweet 16 game has in store, as the Rebels are among the nation’s leaders in TO% on both ends of the floor. Michigan State has shot just 31% from 3 this season and that was a big part of why the game against the Lobos was close, as Sparty went just 4-of-15 (26.7%) from 3. After a 10-of-26 showing from Bryant, the Spartans regressed back to where they normally reside, though they were still able to be extremely efficient on 2s and held the Lobos to .969 points per possession.
That will be the question for Mississippi in this game – can they score enough? The Rebels do not get to the rim much and rely on a lot of jump shots. The Spartans are the top 3P% defense in the nation. Ole Miss is the better team from distance, but they’re going to be tested by the Spartans defense in this one. Michigan State does not force turnovers at the same rate, but they’ve been better at contesting shots and protecting the rim than the Rebels.
Interestingly, Mississippi watched teams shoot a 3-pointer nearly 44% of the time against their defense, so Michigan State will have to work hard to get inside and avoid letting their poor 3-point numbers be their downfall in this one. One area where the Big Ten team has a huge advantage is on the glass, where Michigan State is a top-20 team on both ends and the Rebels are nowhere near that, as they are one of the worst offensive rebounding teams left in the field.
Estimated Score: Michigan State 73, Mississippi 70
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