March Madness Predictions: Will Miami hold off Michigan State? 3/17/17

March Madness Predictions: Will Miami hold off Michigan State? 3/17/17 March Madness Predictions: Will Miami hold off Michigan State? 3/17/17

Michigan State vs. Miami Pick

One of the featured games tonight in the NCAA Tournament has No. 8 Miami taking on No. 9 Michigan State at 9:20PM ET. Which team will escape with a win?

According to oddsmakers at BetDSI, Miami is the slim favorite in this game, as the Hurricanes are getting odds of -2 points against the Spartans. The over/under total for the game is listed at 125.5 points. These two last met in 2012 with Miami getting a 67-59 win. This game will take part in the Midwest Region and air on TNT from Bank of Oklahoma Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

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Miami has lost three of its last four entering the tournament to fall to 21-11 on the season. The losses were all to NCAA Tournament teams. Miami went 10-8 in the ACC this season and is just 11-19 against the spread. Miami is averaging 69.4 points per game on offense this season while allowing 63.7 on defense. Davon Reed has been the team leader with 15 points and 4.8 rebounds per game while Ja’Quan Newton is putting up 13.4 points per contest.

Michigan State has had a very up-and-down season. The Spartans have also lost three of their last four to drop to 19-14 on the season. MSU finished fifth in the Big Ten but still managed to go 17-15 against the spread this season. On the season, MSU has averaged 71.7 points per game on offense while allowing 68.4 on defense. However, away from home, the offense averages just 67.6 on offense while allowing 74.3 on defense. The team relies heavily on freshmen as Miles Bridges leads the team in points (16.7) and rebounds (8.3). Freshman Nick Ward adds 13.7 points and 6.5 boards per game.

Bet on March Madness

Michigan State is always dangerous in March with Tom Izzo and the team has the raw talent to make something happen, but the Spartans have been too inconsistent this season, especially away from East Lansing. The team makes too many mistakes and looks lost too often on the road. Miami has a strong defensive team that should make it tough for these freshmen to get good looks at the basket. If Bridges and Ward get into foul trouble, which they often do, MSU has no chance at all.

 

MARCH MADNESS PREDICTION: MIAMI -2