Notre Dame vs Michigan State Odds, Lines, and Spread
- No. 13 Michigan State, coming off a season-opening 83-67 win over Eastern Michigan, hosts Notre Dame Saturday in the Fighting Irish’s first game of the 2020-21 slate
- The Spartans are favored over the Irish in the programs’ first meeting since Nov. 30, 2017, when then-No. 3 MSU beat then-No. 5 UND 81-63 at the Breslin Center
- Read below for odds, analysis, and our best bet for this matchup between Notre Dame and Michigan State
A Big Ten-ACC matchup highlights the first weekend of the college basketball season, as No. 13 Michigan State hosts Notre Dame Saturday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The Spartans beat Eastern Michigan 83-67 Wednesday in their season opener, while this will be the Fighting Irish’s first outing of the 2020-21 season,
MSU head coach Tom Izzo improved his record to 69-0 at home in November with the 16-point victory over the Eagles. Junior guard Foster Loyer led the way with a career-high 20 points. Meanwhile, Mike Brey’s upper-class-laden team is hoping to carry the momentum of a 9-4 finish from last season’s COVID-interrupted season to this year’s campaign.
Notre Dame vs #13 Michigan State Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notre Dame | +590 | +11.5 (-114) | O 146.5 (-114) |
| Michigan State | -850 | -11.5 (-106) | U 146.5 (-106) |
Odds taken Nov. 27 at FanDuel
Following Saturday’s tilt with the Irish, the Spartans take on No. 9 Duke in the Champions Classic at Cameron Indoor on Tuesday. Notre Dame’s next game – at home against Western Michigan Wednesday –should be a little easier.
The Spartans are double digit favorites entering this enticing matchup between a pair of schools with some recent history.
Whole squad effort tonight 💯 pic.twitter.com/ifSjqB4g3l
— Michigan State Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) November 26, 2020
So Far, So Good in East Lansing
Sparty shot 55% from the field against the Eagles as four players, led by Loyer, notched double-digits.
Marquette transfer Joey Hauser had 15 points and nine rebounds in the victory, while junior forward Gabe Brown scored 12 off the bench.
The feel-good story Wednesday though was Joshua Langford’s. The senior scored 10 points in his first game in nearly two years after missing time due multiple surgeries on his left foot. He did not appear to have any limitations and his return this season may be a rallying cry for Sparty.
One of the best stories in CBB Welcome back Josh. https://t.co/PRqRgNIlBt
— Seth Greenberg (@SethOnHoops) November 26, 2020
Izzo lost supreme talents Cassius Winston and Xavier Tillman to the NBA and this year’s club lacks an NBA-level lock but, as Brey pointed out this week, “They do what they do. They do it annually,” Brey said.
“When I think about them, when I talked to the team, can we stop transition and can we keep it to one-and-done so they don’t play volleyball on the backboard?”
If the Irish can answer those questions with a yes, expect this one to be close.
Maui Wowie
It was nearly three years ago when a top five Irish program entered East Lansing brimming with confidence following a win at the 2017 Maui Invitational.
But after an 81-63 loss to then-No. 3 Michigan State, Notre Dame unraveled. Injuries hit. Confounding defeats to inferior opponents occurred. A string of three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament was snapped. The next year-and-a-half was spent taking lumps.
The program seemed to be on the rebound last year, going 20-12 – but, then, coronavirus.
Brey intentionally scheduled five KenPom preseason top-30 teams because he figured the experienced group returning this season could handle it. We start to find out Saturday.
Lucky … and Good?
Just how prepared for the early gauntlet – which includes Ohio State, Kentucky and Purdue after Michigan State before getting into the loaded ACC – Notre Dame is, is anyone’s guess. But this Irish team, featuring a core of Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin, Nate Laszewski, Juwan Durham and Stanford transfer Cormac Ryan, will be fun to see jell.
𝗔𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗿 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹.
Heading into Saturday's game, @PHubb_3 is in the top three for career assists (293) among active power conference players.
What lies ahead → https://t.co/rdqnnWwght pic.twitter.com/LRy4X46i38
— Notre Dame MBB (@NDmbb) November 25, 2020
If Brey’s club can approach last year’s pace, the Irish should be able to hang with Sparty. Notre Dame, Their 68.1 possessions per game was the highest for the program since 2008. The Irish took 28-percent of their initial shots in transition last year, their highest rate since at least the 2011-12 season.
Izzo’s career undefeated November record at the Breslin Center makes me hesitate on going all-in on the Irish. But the advantage in experience is a major factor to consider.
Hauser and Langford combined for nine of Michigan State’s 18 turnovers against Eastern. After a rough stretch early in the game Wednesday, Hauser settled down and played like the All-Big East Freshman he was in 2019. I expect those first-game jitters to be gone Saturday, but this one should be close.
The pick: Notre Dame +11.5 (-114)
Blair Johnson is a veteran journalist and seasoned sports content creator. He has been writing and producing content as long as he can remember, with such familiar names as CNN, NFL Media and Yahoo. Blair currently lives and works in the greater Los Angeles area.
