Wisconsin vs Michigan State Betting Preview
College basketball handicapper JM Sports breaks down tonight’s Wisconsin vs Michigan State showdown in the Big Ten. At the time of posting, the Badgers have opened as a 3.5-point home favorite over the visiting Spartans, with the total sitting at 139.5 points.
Check out our College Basketball Free Picks page for betting thoughts from some of the country’s top handicappers.
Friday, January 21 | Big Ten Basketball Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Wisconsin Badgers -3.5 vs Michigan State Spartans |
Total: | 139.5 Points |
Game Time: | 9:00pm ET / 6:00pm PT |
Arena: | Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin |
TV: | FS1 |
Wisconsin vs Michigan State Analysis
This game between Michigan State and Wisconsin could end up being a huge game in the Big Ten standings and a potential tiebreaker later on down the road. Both of these teams have just one loss in conference play, while Wisconsin is 15-2 on the year and Michigan State is 14-3. This should be an exciting game as Wisconsin looks to continue the impressive run that they are on, and Michigan State looks to turn things around following a disappointing loss to Northwestern in their last game.
Michigan State Spartans
Michigan State has had a rough week, and questions are starting to rise about the true potential of this team. It has looked as though Tom Izzo and team have made some recent changed in the past couple of games, including the use of the 7 foot big man in the middle, in Marcus Bingham Jr, who has seen a drastic decrease in minute in recent games. They have outscored their opponents by 7.6 points on average this season, stemming from the fact that their defense has held opponents to 39.1% shooting this year and they are holding teams to 7.8 PPG less then the opposition’s season average.
On the offensive side of the ball, Michigan State has shot 51.8% or better in 4 out of the last 7 games, and 43% or better in 6 out of the last 7 overall. A good chunk of their points have come from beyond the arc, but that is to be expected when you are ranked #9 in 3PT%. Yet, Michigan State can match-up inside with Wisconsin as well, as they are the 9th team in the league in terms of average height.
Wisconsin Badgers
Surprisingly enough, Wisconsin actually sits one spot behind Michigan State in the KenPom overall ratings, regardless of the fact that Wisconsin sits ahead of Michigan State in the coaches poll and the AP poll. Wisconsin has won their games this season by an average margin of 11.1 PPG and they look to continue that trend in this game, as they shoot for 8 wins in a row. This Wisconsin team has played the 3rd toughest schedule on the season, but they have been smart with the ball, coming in at #2 in turnover percentage in Division 1.
On top of being smart and controlling the ball, Wisconsin also sits in the top-25 in average height, and this is one of the few games that they don’t come in with a definitive size advantage. They have put up almost 77 PPG on their home court, and in the last 5 games overall, they are averaging over 78 PPG. Johnny Davis is a legitimate player of the year candidate and his contributions have played a major part in getting this team to where they are currently.
Wisconsin vs Michigan State Prediction
One of these teams is hot and the other is not, but there is no question that these teams can put up some points. Michigan State has gone over the total in 6 of their last 8 games. While Wisconsin has gone over the total if 7 straight games. They are 14-3 over against teams that are making 45% of their shots or better in the last 3 seasons, 7-0 over when playing their 2nd game in 8 days this year, and 11-3 over after committing 11 TO’s or less in consecutive games this season.
Opinion : With the recent concerns surrounding Michigan State, I find myself leaning towards the Badgers covering the spread, but I am definitely siding with the over in the totals on this Big Ten matchup.
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Notes on Friday’s NCAAB slate:
✏️Illinois’ Kofi Cockburn only played 22 of 50 mins vs Purdue on Monday.
✏️The under is 9-4 in Niagara’s last 13 games.
✏️The under is 11-4 in Kent State’s games.
✏️Wagner is averaging 84.6 points/gm over their last seven.
➡️https://t.co/RHOuvHZvdC pic.twitter.com/u5J0eLhINZ— GoldSheet (@thegoldsheet) January 21, 2022
Wisconsin vs Michigan State Preview from GoldSheet
A sell-out crowd will look to lift the Badgers to an important win over the visiting Spartans. Michigan State comes in off a 64-62 loss to Northwestern in East Lansing, so it will be looking to bounce back from a loss for a third time this season.
Michigan State last played in Madison on Feb. 1, 2020 and lost last season’s only meeting in East Lansing, so Tom Izzo will be looking to snap a two-game skid again Greg Gard’s Badgers, who are better this season than they were last year given the emergence of likely NBA lottery pick Johnny Davis (22.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg), a wing who can get his own shot whenever he wants. 6-foot-9 forward Tyler Wahl is dealing with an ankle injury but should play despite being held out of practices to get him rest. 7-footer Steven Crowl may have to pick up more of the slack against a frontline featuring 6-foot-11 Marcus Bingham, veteran Gabe Brown, reserve Malik Hall and Joey Hauser, the Wisconsin prep star who originally attended Marquette before landing at MSU.
Northeastern transfer Tyson Walker will be playing just his fourth true road game as Michigan State’s point guard and will be up against true freshman Chucky Hepburn, so that matchup will be key. Walker went scoreless in Sparty’s last road game. Look for the whistle to play a major role here since the Badgers get to the free-throw line well and execute there once they do, shooting 72 percent from the stripe while averaging 19 attempts per game.
College Basketball Stat Sheet
GoldSheet prepares a daily college basketball stat sheet, which offers a head-to-head comparison for how teams are performing in a number of key areas heading into a game. Check out Friday’s sheet, with notes on tonight’s Wisconsin vs Michigan State contest.
Happy Hour Tip-Off Show
Get your daily fix of college hoops betting information with Joe Raineri and a rotating panel of handicapping guests. The Happy Hour Tip-Off Show will broadcast Monday through Friday at 1:45pm ET / 10:45am PT. Pull up a barstool and join us as we break down tonight’s college basketball card, including this Wisconsin vs Michigan State clash, from a sports betting perspective.
NCAAB Odds Screen
Sportsmemo’s live odds screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the college basketball point spreads, moneylines, first half lines and betting percentages for all of Friday’s NCAAB games, including this Wisconsin vs Michigan State showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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