Michigan State Opens as 6-Point Favorite at Seton Hall; Pirates’ Myles Powell Out With Ankle Injury

• Michigan State travels to New Jersey to face Seton Hall in the headliner of the Gavitt Tipoff Games between the Big Ten and Big East
• The Pirates will most likely be without star guard Myles Powell who’s sidelined with an ankle injury
• Can Sparty notch their first win against a ranked team this season?

One of the biggest matchups of the young season happens on Thursday evening as the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans (1-1) visit the No. 12 Seton Hall Pirates (2-0) at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J (8:30 PM ET).

The Spartans enters this game as six-point favorites in the Michigan State vs Seton Hall odds and looks to get back on track after splitting their first two games. The Spartans, who opened the reason ranked No. 1, lost to Kentucky last week in the season opener, before bouncing back with a 100-47 win over Binghamton on Sunday.

The Pirates have yet to be tested with easy wins over Wagner and Stony Brook.

Michigan State vs. Seton Hall Odds

Odds Taken November 13th

Michigan State were three-point favorites against Kentucky, yet lost by nine. However, the Spartans were 37.5-point favorites against Binghamton and won by 53. Meanwhile, Seton Hall covered in its opener against Wagner, but were 20.5-point favorites over Stony Brook and won by just 17 points.

Cassius Winston’s Tough Week

MSU’s All-American point guard, Cassius Winston, is off to a strong start, averaging 19.0 points and 7.5 assists. Sadly, the day before Michigan State’s win over Binghamton, Winston’s younger brother, Zachary, was tragically killed when he was struck by a train.

Winston chose to play in the game, scoring 17 points and dishing out 11 assists in an extremely emotional Breslin Center.

This won't be the last ovation Cassius Winston gets at the Breslin Center, but it might be the most emotional. pic.twitter.com/vh6oTfg09H

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) November 11, 2019

Seton Hall Star Myles Powell is Out

Seton Hall senior guard Myles Powell injured his ankle in the Pirates’ win over Stony Brook on Saturday. Just four minutes into the game, the Big East Preseason Player of the Year rolled his ankle and quickly exited the game.

Afterward, it was announced by coach Kevin Willard that Powell’s absence could be a “prolonged” one. Powell, who averaged 23 points per game last season, scored 27 in the season opener and was set for a huge season.

They still have a talented team sans Powell, but his absence makes things much difficult going up against an elite defensive squad like Michigan State. Other players like Sandro Mamukelashvili, Quincy McKnight, Jared Rhoden and Shavar Reynolds must all step up their respective games.

Tough to tell what exactly happened but Myles Powell appeared to roll his ankle and then bumped into the stanchion pic.twitter.com/qPJgySO8Ry

— Big East Coast Bias (@becb_sbn) November 9, 2019

Who is the Best Bet?

Losing to Kentucky in the opener was a tough one for Michigan State, but it was Kentucky. Regardless of what happened with the Wildcats in their historic loss against Evansville this week, they are still an elite team. No one should look down upon the Spartans for that loss.

Two things stood out in that loss. One, the Spartans shot just 19 percent from beyond the arc (5-26), while the Wildcats attempted 32 free throws. The Spartans must shoot the ball better to beat the Pirates.

Seton Hall is a perimeter-oriented team. In two games, the Pirates have connected on 16 of 42 attempts from three-point range for an average of 38 percent. They’ll need to continue that trend in order to pull off a huge win against the Spartans.

Pick: Michigan State -6 (-110)