UConn vs Michigan State Odds, Picks & Props: Sweet 16 Betting Preview

• The UConn Huskies are slight 1.5-point favorites over the Michigan State Spartans in Sweet 16 action Friday night
• The Huskies have double digit wins in each of their first two wins
• Read below for the latest UConn vs Michigan State odds, my betting prediction and favorite prop picks

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A couple of college basketball blue bloods take center stage Friday night, as the Michigan State Spartans (27-7) take on the UConn Huskies (31-5), with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.

The books are expecting a close one, pegging the Huskies as a very slight favorite in the college basketball odds.

This East Regional Sweet 16 matchup is slated for Friday at 9:45pm ET from Capital One Arena in Washington, DC, with CBS carrying the broadcast coverage.

Michigan State vs UConn Odds

Odds as of March 27. The interactive table above will automatically update as the college basketball odds move over the course of the day.

It’s an exceptionally close line for this clash, with UConn favored by just 1.5 points, which is paying out at -110 odds at BetMGM. The Spartans are getting two points at Caesars, while also paying out at -110 odds.

Thinking Tom Izzo’s quad takes this outright? It’s a +110 payout on the moneyline, with the Huskies at -130, both at bet365.

The total sits at 134.5 points, with both ends paying out at -110.

UConn vs Michigan State Picks & Predictions

• The Pick: UConn -1.5 (-110 at BetMGM)

UConn center Tarris Reed Jr missed a preseason game between these teams back in October, but there’s no way Michigan State can avoid the 6-foot-11 senior on Friday night.

Reed Jr put the tournament on blast when he erupted for 31 points and 27 rebounds in the Huskies’ 82-71 opener against Furman, and followed that up with a sturdy double-double of 10 points and 13 boards in, as well as three blocks, as UConn took apart UCLA 73-57.

He’s going to put a lot of pressure on the Spartans’ rebounding, which ranks fifth in the nation.

But Reed is merely one of the weapons they need to deal with. Senior Alex Karaban has been on fire to start the tourney, following up a 22-point opener vs Furman to explode for a game-high 27 against the Bruins. In both games, he has hit four 3-point bombs.

Karaban and Reed Jr are part of four upperclassmen that start for the Huskies — and in a rarity these days in college hoops, it’s a number that MSU will match.

UConn vs Michigan State Key Stats

The starting quartet of senior forward Jaxon Kohler, senior center Carson Cooper, junior guard Jeremy Fears Jr. and junior forward Coen Carr have played 14 combined seasons under head coach Tom Izzo.

Cooper shined against North Dakota State with 20 points and 10 boards in a 92-67 romp, while Carr had his own double-double, with 21 points and 10 rebounds in a tight 77-69 win over Louisville in Round 2.

I think the Huskies’ recent NCAA Tournament pedigree — they’ve won the whole thing in 2023 and 2024 — gives them the edge. They’re a crisp 15-1 in their last 16 tournament appearances.

Michigan State is 26th in scoring defense, and the Huskies rank ninth. I just have a lot more confidence in and Reed Jr and Karaban — perhaps the best duo still alive in college hoops — getting it done. Still, it will be a dandy between two clubs in the Top 10 of the latest NCAA Championship odds.

• Prop Bet #1: 1st Half Spread – UConn -1 (-115 at bet365)

UConn has definitely been a front-runner, finishing with a lead in the first half in nine of their last 12 games, including both times at the NCAA Tournament. One of those other games also ended in halftime tie.

• Prop Bet #2: Karaban Under 2.5 3-point makes (-170 at bet365)

Karaban has been sizzling from distance in the tournament, going a combined 8-for-17, a crisp 47.1% clip, but MSU holds opponents to just 32.7% from distance. Prior to this tournament, he’d hit three 3-pointers in a game just twice in his previous eight games.