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Michigan State and Duke are set to face off in the round of 32! It's time to continue our march madness odds series with a Michigan State-Duke prediction and pick.
No. 7 Michigan State just barely snuck past 10-seeded Davidson on Friday night. The Spartans won 74-73 in a battle between two teams fighting to advance to the next round. Joey Hauser scored 27 in the win for Michigan State and every point was needed to advance. Hauser's brother Sam, plays for the surging Boston Celtics in the NBA, who are currently 4th in the Eastern Conference.
The Duke Blue Devils earned their way to the round of 32 after taking care of CSU-Fullerton on Friday evening. Duke won 78-61 as they pretty much controlled the entire game. Coach K isn't done yet! Duke will have a tough test against a good Michigan State squad. Duke is the 2-seed in the West Region.
Here are the Michigan State-Duke March Madness odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Michigan State-Duke Odds
Michigan State: +6.5 (-110)
Duke: -6.5 (-110)
Over: 145 (-110)
Under: 145 (-110)
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Why Michigan State Could Cover The Spread
This will be a tough game to win for the Spartans, but they are more than capable of doing so. Prior to losing to Purdue in the Semifinal of the Big Ten, The Spartans won their previous three games and beat No. 12 Wisconsin to advance in the tournament. Michigan State was ranked all season long until late February when they lost to Illinois and Iowa in back-to-back games.
This is a good team and honestly got overlooked when the seedings came out. They could have been higher than a 7-seed but that doesn't matter now. Duke is in front of them and this is one of the top teams in the country. The Spartans must step up defensively and not allow the Blue Devils to get into any kind of rhythm.
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The Spartans are (5-5) in their last 10 games averaging 71 points and allowing 70. Every game they are in is a close one and if they want to cover this spread, it must be tight once again. This team doesn't have consistent offensive threats but Hauser did score 27 Friday night. If he can repeat that performance, or maybe Gabe Brown or Max Christie score 20+, then they should be in it down the stretch.
Why Duke Could Cover The Spread
Duke contains five players that average double-digits in scoring. All five of their starters scored in double digits against the Titans but one of their top scorers Trevor Keels came off the bench. Paolo Banchero notched 17 in the win and Mark Williams scored 15. The three-point shooting helped them maintain a huge lead over the Titans as they shot 40% as a team. Wendell Moore Jr. drained 3/4 from deep and Banchero 2/4. Duke will need to keep their high-threat offensive attack going in order to cover this spread over the Spartans.
Duke is (8-2) in their last 10 games averaging 76.3 points per game and allowing 73.6 per game. The real difference between these two teams is the shooting percentage from the floor. Duke is shooting 50% from the field whereas Michigan State shoots 46.5%. With how all the March Madness games are going, I expect this game to be close. Duke will need to prove they are the better team by controlling the boards and playing elite defense.
Michigan State ended the season (19-16) against the spread while Duke finished (17-16-2).
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Final Michigan State-Duke Prediction & Pick
I'm taking Michigan State to cover this spread. At +6.5, I find it hard to assume Duke will win this game by more than six points. Duke is the better team but they call it Madness for a reason. Take the Spartans as they will put up a fight against the Blue Devils.
Final Michigan State-Duke Pick: Michigan State +6.5 (-110)
