UCLA vs Michigan State Odds and Picks for the First Four
- Michigan State is a two-point favorite over UCLA in their First Four game on Thursday, March 18
- The Bruins are 7-4 straight-up all-time against Sparty, but Michigan State has won the past two meetings
- See the odds, analysis, and best bet for the NCAA Tournament play-in game
UCLA has won more NCAA Tournaments (11) than any other school. Since 1999, Michigan State has played in the Final Four seven times.
Thursday, these two legendary basketball powers clash on the court, seeking to earn an invite to the big dance. The Bruins and Spartans meet in one of the NCAA Tournament First Four games. The winner gains the 11th seed in the East Region and a date with the #6 Brigham Young Cougars.
Oddsmakers are putting their faith in Michigan State. The Spartans are two-point favorites over the Bruins. The total is set at 136. Michigan State’s last six games have all gone under.
Tip-off is set for 9:57pm ET at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana. The game is being broadcast by TBS.
UCLA vs Michigan State NCAA Tournament Odds
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | +112 | +2 (-109) | O 136.0 (-108) |
| Michigan State | -132 | -2 (-112) | U 136.0 (-112) |
Odds as of March 13th at FanDuel.
Spartans Finding Their Footing
It’s not been a year to remember for the Michigan State program. At 15-12, they’re threatening to post their lowest win number ever with Tom Izzo as coach. Izzo was 16-16 in his first season with the Spartans in 1995-96.
Just two years removed from a Final Four appearance, MSU finished ninth in the Big Ten. That’s the school’s worst performance in the conference since the Spartans were 10th in 1964-65. Michigan State opened the Big Ten season 4-9 and finished 9-11, the school’s first losing conference campaign since 1992-93.
More opportunity ahead. #MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/q5wl6A5hBZ
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) March 14, 2021
There were signs late in the season that Sparty was finding some traction. They won five of their last seven regular-season games, including victories over #2 Michigan, #4 Ohio State, and #5 Illinois. Both the Illini and Wolverines are #1 seeds for March Madness, while the Buckeyes are a #2 seed.
Junior forward Aaron Henry makes the Spartans tick. He leads the team in points (15.3), rebounds (5.7), and assists (3.5) per game.
[crosstpost]Trouble Bruin
Unlike Michigan State, UCLA’s fortunes are heading in the opposite direction. The Bruins come into this contest on a four-game skid.
The Bruins (17-9) displayed the promise of better things when they rebounded from a season-opening loss to San Diego State to sit 13-2 after 15 games. That included an 8-0 start in Pac-12 Conference play. However, they’re just 4-6 in their past 10 games.
"It's something that we have all been working for. So yeah, the mood of the room was very stressful, very tense. But once we heard our name called, we just had a sigh of relief. We were all very happy."
Jaime Jaquez Jr., on the wait during Sunday's selection show pic.twitter.com/rE47FanB7U
— UCLA Men’s Basketball (@UCLAMBB) March 15, 2021
In their most-recent game, they blew a 16-point lead and dropped an 83-78 verdict to Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals. UCLA has held at least an eight-point lead in each game during the current four-game slide.
The Bruns average 72.8 points per game and do so via a balanced attack. Six players – Johnny Juzang (14), Chris Smith (12.6), Jaime Jaquez Jr (11.7), Tyger Campbell (10.5), Jules Bernard (10.4), and Cody Riley (10.2) – are averaging double-digit points per game.
If you’re a fan of omens, UCLA also entered the 1980 NCAA Tournament at 17-9. The #8 seed in the West Region, the Bruins reached the championship game before succumbing 59-54 to Louisville.
How It Will Play Out
Watching these two blue bloods scrape and claw just go get into the 64-team field is like seeing Ali-Frazier as a preliminary bout of a boxing card. Truth be told, Michigan State’s pedigree is much fresher than UCLA’s.
MSU is in the tournament for the 23rd successive year. The Bruins are involved with March Madness for the first time since 2018. They haven’t sampled the rarified air of a Final Four since 2008.
"Perseverance leads to growth."
Wise words from JL last night 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/pk46fJi8Lb
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) March 15, 2021
Even in a down year, Michigan State’s pedigree still stands up to the test better that what the Bruins can show. A win over Colorado is the only impressive notch on UCLA’s 2020-21 victory chart. MSU shows four wins over teams in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA has two victories of this sort.
Evidence of just how deep the Big Ten is this season is offered by the fact that no school outside of the Big Ten has proven capable of beating the Spartans during the 2020-21 campaign. Michigan State owns a 6-0 non-conference slate, including a win at Duke.
Pick: Michigan State -2 (-112)
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
