We're set for another competitive tilt in the Big Ten Conference as we bring you our College Basketball prediction and pick for this next matchup. The Michigan State Spartans (12-7, 4-4 Big Ten) will visit Madison and take on the No.13 Wisconsin Badgers (15-4, 7-1 Big Ten) for a can't-miss rivalry game. Check out our College Basketball odds series for our Michigan State-Wisconsin prediction and pick.
The Michigan State Spartans find themselves at 4-4 in Big Ten play after their most recent 61-59 win on the road against Maryland. It marks their third consecutive win over a Big Ten opponent and they're starting to gain back some of the momentum they lost at the start of the season. They can make a huge statement here with another road win over the conference leaders.
The No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers are currently leading the Big Ten with a 7-1 conference record, their only loss coming as a shocker to Penn State. They've gone 8-2 in their last 10 games and they already have one road win over the Spartans when they won a decisive 70-57 game. They'll look to continue their success and exploit the bad matchup on their home floor this time.
Here are the college basketball odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
College Basketball Odds: Michigan State-Wisconsin Odds
Michigan State: +3.5 (-115)
Moneyline: +132
Wisconsin: -3.5 (-105)
Moneyline: -160
Over: 138.5 (-115)
Under: 138.5 (-105)
How to Watch Michigan State vs. Wisconsin
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET/ 5:00 p.m. PT
TV: FS1
Stream: fuboTV (Click for free trial)
Why Michigan State Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Michigan State Spartans gained a ton of momentum with back-to-back home wins over Rutgers and Minnesota. At home, the Spartans are one of the toughest teams to beat and the Breslin continues to be a huge advantage for them in Big Ten play. Their last game against an evenly-matched Maryland team was a huge test as the Spartans got their first Big Ten win on the road this season. Moving forward, that game should be a big confidence booster for their squad and while it came down to the last basket, MSU was able to show great resolve and prevent the Terrapins from making a comeback. They'll be facing a much better team in Wisconsin, so they'll have to clean some things up and play a much more fluid game if they want the win as underdogs.
The Spartans may have finally found a consistent big man in Carson Cooper and his activity in rebounding the basketball has really added a new gear to this team. They're very willing to get out in transition and run with any team in the country, but they struggle mightily against physical teams who can rebound on offense. Securing the rebound and getting to the free-throw line will be key in this game for Michigan State to halt any scoring runs from Wisconsin. They've also had their woes from the charity stripe this year, so the Spartans will have to be perfect in the two areas they've struggled in most.
Why Wisconsin Will Cover The Spread/Win
The Wisconsin Badgers are having a great start to their season and they've only seen one loss on their home floor through this point of the season. Their lineup is built for Big Ten Basketball as they have a plethora of guys who can score the ball inside and shoot from range. They were extremely hot from three in their last home game against Indiana and they found just as much success shooting from mid-range and in the paint. They like to start very fast and find their shooting rhythm early, so playing at home could bode well against an MSU team that tends to start a bit slower. They definitely cooled-off in their last road win over Minnesota, but the Badgers are confident in heading back home against a team they easily beat over a month ago.
During their last win over Michigan State, the Badgers out-rebounded the Spartans 36-22. Both teams shot identical numbers from the field and the Badgers even had more turnovers than the Spartans, but the ultimate different came on the glass and Wisconsin's ability to secure offensive rebounds. They're a much deeper team when it comes to their interior players, so they'll have a clear mismatch to exploit throughout the entire game. If they can get their three-point shooting to heat up and cause an outside threat for Michigan State, the Badgers could find themselves hanging on to another double-digit lead during this game.
Final Michigan State-Wisconsin Prediction & Pick
This will be the second meeting between these two teams since their last game at Michigan State in December. Both teams' offenses had similar production, but it was clear that the Badgers were the much more physical team inside and dominant on the boards. Michigan State has seen some more consistency out of their interior play in the time since that last game, so it'll be interesting to see what king of adjustments Tom Izzo makes ahead of seeing this Wisconsin team again.
It's surprising to see how short this spread is given the first time these two teams met, so we'll have to side with the Wisconsin Badgers playing this game on their home court. The total is set rather high for a Big Ten game, but we'll side with it anyway as both teams are shooting well from deep.
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Final Michigan State-Wisconsin Prediction & Pick: Wisconsin -3.5 (-105); OVER 138.5 (-115)