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The Michigan State Spartans take on the Penn State Nittany Lions. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Michigan State Penn State prediction and pick.
The college basketball season is still generally in the midst of nonconference games, but one thing we have seen in recent years is the shift toward more conference games in early December. Teams will play two to four conference games at this stage of the season, before the full run of conference play begins just after Christmas Day. This is the second Big Ten game for Michigan State, the first for Penn State. It's a very important game for both teams, given their respective sets of circumstances.
Michigan State was doing really well in the first two weeks of the season. The Spartans lost to Gonzaga by one point. They beat Kentucky and Villanova. They handled Oregon. Then they crashed into the rocks. The Spartans lost to Alabama. They beat Portland in a challenging, tough game. Then they lost at Notre Dame in a blowout and came home this past Sunday to lose to Northwestern in their Big Ten opener. This season has taken a clear and sharp turn in the wrong direction. The Spartans are 5-4 and need to stop the bleeding. They do have some quality wins such as the Kentucky victory, and that will help their overall profile on Selection Sunday, but if Michigan State picks up a lot of losses (four already — this team could have 10 or 11 by season's end at this rate), the Spartans' ceiling in terms of their NCAA Tournament seed will be noticeably lower. If Michigan State wants to give itself a real chance in March, it has to avoid losses to middle-of-the-pack Big Ten teams such as Penn State. It already lost to Northwestern. It can't afford to lose to NU and PSU in consecutive games.
Penn State is trying to build itself toward an NCAA Tournament standard under coach Micah Shrewsbury. Results this season have been mixed. Penn State beat Butler and a tricky mid-major team, Furman. However, the Nittany Lions have also lost to Clemson and Virginia Tech, two mid-tier ACC teams. Penn State needs high-value wins, and beating Michigan State would very likely rate as the best win on the slate thus far this season. Penn State gets this game at home. PSU's home court has generally not been intimidating, but the Nittany Lions need their building to be a place where conference opponents have a hard time — not just this season, but on a regular basis in any year.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Michigan State-Penn State College Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Michigan State-Penn State Odds
Michigan State Spartans: +4.5 (-115)
Penn State Nittany Lions: -4.5 (-105)
Over: 136.5 (-110)
Under: 136.5 (-110)
Why Michigan State Could Cover the Spread
It's very simple: Michigan State has way too much talent to keep losing like this. The Spartans nearly beat Gonzaga. They did defeat Kentucky and Villanova. This team will be mad and motivated after the Northwestern loss. Michigan State is going to fight back.
Why Penn State Could Cover the Spread
The Nittany Lions are at home, and Michigan State might simply hasn't been a good team over the past week. The Spartans are very hard to trust in light of their recent collection of substandard performances. One would have thought Michigan State would have fixed its flaws this past Sunday at home against Northwestern, but it didn't. That's alarming heading into State College, Pa.
Final Michigan State-Penn State Prediction & Pick
You should frankly stay away from this game, because the Spartans are going through a tough time and Penn State is not a full proven team. The Nittany Lions face just as many questions as Michigan State does. If you absolutely insist on a pick, however, take Michigan State.
Final Michigan State-Penn State Prediction & Pick: Michigan State +4.5
