Bryant vs Michigan State Predictions, Odds and Picks
By Chris Amberley in College Basketball
Published:
- The Michigan State Spartans are 16.5-point favorites over the Bryant Bulldogs in the South Region’s 2 vs 15 contest
- Bryant is 0-2 versus tournament teams this season, losing by a combined 68 points
- See my Bryant vs Michigan State Predictions, Odds and Picks for the NCAA Tournament, below
11 times in NCAA Tournament history, a 15-seed has upset a 2-seed. Can Bryant (23-11) become the 12th team to accomplish the feat tonight versus Michigan State (27-6)? I wouldn’t bet on it. Online sportsbooks agree, pegging the Spartans as mega chalk in the latest college basketball odds .
Tip-off is scheduled for 10pm ET at the Rocket Arena, in Cleveland, OH, with TBS providing the broadcast coverage.
Bryant vs Michigan State Odds
Michigan State is favored by 16.5-points and -2100 on the moneyline. The total sits at 152.5, while you can get +1100 odds on the Bulldogs to pull off the upset.
Per the college basketball public betting trends, the Bulldogs are getting a little bit of love in the spread department. They’re garnering 67% of the against the spread wagers, but those tickets only make up 48% of the handle.
Odds as of March 21 at DraftKings. See the full list of DraftKings legal states.
Bryant vs Michigan State Predictions (South Region)
My prediction is Bryant gets run out of the gym. The gap between them and Michigan State is massive. They’re separated by 139 spots in Kenpom’s overall rankings. The Spartans grade out top-26 on both offense and defense, while the Bulldogs are outside the top-148 in both categories.
Michigan State entered the preseason unranked, but have have risen to number eight. They earned a 2-seed in the March Madness bracket, and were the best team in the Big Ten, despite not winning the conference tournament. They fell to Wisconsin in the semis, snapping an eight-game winning streak. Their season officially turned around once they inserted Jase Richardson into the lineup.
The Spartans were desperate for more offense, and Richardson has delivered. He’s averaging 17+ points per game over his last 11, shooting above 50% from the field. Michigan State gets reliable guard play from upperclassmen Jaden Akins and Tre Holloman, and have plenty of size to bang with Bryant’s bigs.
The matchup offensively for the Spartans is enticing. The Bulldogs rank 233rd in scoring defense, and outside the top-145 in threes allowed. They also commit a ton of fouls, which Michigan State will make them pay for. The Spartans shoot 78% from the line, and are top-20 in average score margin and assists. They were also the Big Ten’s best offensive rebounding team, and Bryant allows an offensive rebound on 37% of opponent possessions.
Bryant vs Michigan State Stats
At the other end of the floor, Michigan State’s advantage is just as big. Yes, Bryant has a handful of competent scorers, led by Rafael Pinzon, but this is a major step-up in competition.
The Spartans rank top-30 in opponent points per possession, and are 14th in opponent field goal percentage. The Bulldogs have capable outside shooters, but don’t expect them to have much luck. Michigan State is number one at defending the three-point line.
Inside the arc, Bryant’s game is strong, but it’s no match for the Spartans defense. Michigan State holds enemy shooters to .66 points per possession on jumpers off the dribble. On drives to the bucket, the Spartans are allowing less than .9 points per attempt.
Bryant vs Michigan State Picks
- Michigan State -16.5 (-118) at DraftKings
That should be enough to ride with Michigan State -16.5 as my best bet. The icing on the cake though, is how poorly the Bulldogs have fared when they’ve faced superior competition.
Bryant has played two tournament teams this season. They were blown out by both St. John’s and Grand Canyon, losing by a combined 68 points. The Bulldogs have been underdogs seven times, and are 1-6 against the spread. As a dog of 3+ points, they’re 0-5 ATS.
Michigan State is looking to become the first unranked preseason team to ever crack the last four in the Final Four odds. The road starts off smoothly tonight, with a blowout victory.
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Sports Writer
As SBD's resident Swiss Army Knife, Chris covers virtually every sport including NFL, PGA, NBA, MLB, NCAAB, NCAAF and the Olympics. A true grinder, he'd rather pick off small edges in the player props market than swing for the fences with a 5-leg parlay.
