The Second Round of the 2023 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament will continue as we make our prediction for this tight matchup. The 7-seed Michigan State Spartans will take on the 2-seed Marquette Golden Eagles. Don't miss a second of the tournament action as the second round kicks off! Check out our March Madness odds series for our Michigan State-Marquette prediction and pick.
The Michigan State Spartans will enter this game after winning their first matchup against USC 72-62. The Spartans looked very good in that game and were able to close out a game convincingly for the first time in a while. Tom Izzo was very pleased with his squad's complete effort and knows that momentum is everything when playing in March, especially against a tough Marquette team.
The Marquette Golden Eagles advance to the second round after beating 15-seed Vermont handedly 78-61. As the 2-seed, they're slated to make a big run in the tournament and will be the slight favorites in this game against Michigan State. Look for them to continue their huge scoring efforts as they try to advance as a tournament favorite.
Here are the Michigan State-Marquette March Madness odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
March Madness Odds: Michigan State-Marquette Odds
Michigan State: +2.5 (-110)
Marquette: -2.5 (-110)
Over: 140.5 (-115)
Under: 140.5 (-105)
How To Watch Michigan State vs. Marquette
TV: CBS
Stream: March Madness App, fuboTV
Time: 5:15 p.m. ET/ 2:15 p.m. PT
*Watch college basketball LIVE with fuboTV (click for a free trial)*
Why Michigan State Could Cover The Spread
Michigan State played one of their best games of the season in their first tournament hurdle. USC is a solid team and they gave the Spartans some issues by taking the lead back well into the second half. However, the Spartans showed great resilience in their rebounding efforts and were finally able to win convincingly behind a good second-half performance. They're pleased to see their tide turn as Tom Izzo knows leads can evaporate in an instant during this tournament.
To win their game against Marquette, the Spartans will have to rely on their defense to perform well against the scoring attack of Marquette. They have a number of players they can look to for scoring, and this will be a huge game for Forward Joey Hauser as he faces his former team in their biggest game of the season. The Spartans should look to rebound aggressively as a team and hope that Tyson Walker can once again lift them with some huge threes down the stretch.
Why Marquette Could Cover The Spread
Marquette looked every bit of a 2-seed as they convincingly handled Vermont. Their star Kam Jones tallied just one point in the first half as Vermont continued to hang in, but exploded for 18-straight points and helped his team jump out to a much more substantial lead. Marquette shot 50% from three and managed to have only five turnovers while causing 10 for the Catamounts. Their guard Emarion Ellis will be listed as ‘questionable' ahead of this tilt.
The Golden Eagles can win this game with a steady diet of efficient scoring perimeter defense. Michigan State tends to kick the ball out when the paint get clogged up, so look for the Golden Eagles to have fast hands on defense and create some steals. The Spartans have had turnover troubles for the past few tournaments and during the season, so if Marquette can force them into double-digits, they'll be able to win as favorites.
Final Michigan State-Marquette Prediction & Pick
Marquette looked like a true 2-seed in the second half of their game against Vermont, but looked very beatable in the first half when they were struggling to score. The Spartans are coming off a great all-around performance and will have one of the best tournament coaches in history leading the way. While Marquette may be the smarter pick, let's take the Spartans to keep dancing as they upset the Golden Eagles behind a big Joey Hauser performance.
Final Michigan State-Marquette Prediction & Pick: Michigan State Spartans ML (+115)
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