Skip to content

Spartans Opens as Favorites in Michigan State vs Louisville Odds

Sascha Paruk

By Sascha Paruk in College Basketball

Published:


Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler yells in a celebratory fashion
Michigan State forward Jaxon Kohler (0) celebrates a 3-pointer against North Dakota State during the first half of NCAA Tournament First Round at KeyBank Center in Buffalo on Thursday, March 19, 2026.
  • #3 Michigan State meets #6 Louisville in the round of 32
  • Tom Izzo’s Spartans are slight chalk
  • See the opening Michigan State vs Louisville odds for the second round

The #3 Michigan State Spartans (26-7, 16-15-2 ATS) made quick work of #14 North Dakota State on Thursday, setting up a heavyweight second-round tilt with the #6 Louisville Cardinals (24-10, 17-17 ATS) on Saturday, March 21st (start time TBD).

Louisville held off a spirited comeback attempt from #11 USF (83-79) but the opening Louisville vs Michigan State odds project the Cardinals’ tournament ending this weekend.

Michigan State vs Louisville Opening Odds

Bet TypeMSULOU
Spread-3.5 (-110)+3.5 (-110)
Moneyline-185+154
TotalO 150.5 (-110)U 150.5 (-110)

MSU is a 3.5-point favorite against the spread and -185 on the moneyline. The Cardinals come back as +154 underdogs. The game total has opened at 150.5 with -110 odds both ways.

Odds os of 6:45 pm ET at DraftKings. See the full list of sports betting apps for March Madness.

Virginia transfer Isaac McKneely led the way for Louisville on Thursday, scoring 23 points on an electric 7-of-10 performance from beyond the arc.

Louisville vs Michigan State 2025 Team Stats

LouisvilleStatisticMichigan State
24-10Overall Record25-7
5-1Neutral Record4-1
20thKenPom Rank9th
17thNet Rank11th
.#30 SOS.#21
84.7PPG78.9
72.4Opp PPG68.4
47.2%FG%47.1%
36.1%3P%35.9%
76.1%FT%76.3%
36.2Reb/G36.9
17.1Ast/G18.5
11.9TO/G11.5
6.8Stl/G5.1
3.3Blk/G4.1
8-10Quad 1 Record9-6
4-0Quad 2 Record4-1

MSU and Louisville haven’t played since January 2021, when the Spartans took a 73-64 win in East Lansing.

Check SBD’s college basketball public betting splits to see where the money is going on this game and all 67 NCAA Tournament matchups.

Sascha Paruk
Sascha Paruk

Managing Editor

Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.

NFL NBA MLB NHL NCAAF NCAAB Politics Tennis MMA Sportsbooks Gambling

Recommended Reading