Michigan State vs. Mississippi State Prediction: Can Tyson Walker, Spartans Advance to the Round of 32?
The Michigan State Spartans and Mississippi State Bulldogs meet in the first round of the NCAA tournament in a notorious 8-9 matchup. Which team will advance to the Round of 32? Ben Rajavuori answers.
Ben Rajavuori - March 21, 2024, 8:00 AM EDT
5 minMichigan State vs. Mississippi State Prediction: Can Tyson Walker, Spartans Advance to the Round of 32?
The Michigan State Spartans and Mississippi State Bulldogs meet in the first round of the NCAA tournament in a notorious 8-9 matchup. The winner will go on to face North Carolina, most likely, in the second round. The 8-9 matchups are always hard to pick and of course, the books have this one as a coin flip, as Michigan State is just a 1.5 point favorite in this matchup. What should be expected between these two closely-ranked teams?
Michigan State vs. Mississippi State DATE, TIME, WHERE TO WATCH
- Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024
- Game Time: 12:15 pm ET
- Where to Watch: CBS
Michigan State vs. Mississippi State Prediction
Michigan State had massive expectations coming into the season. Believe it or not, Michigan State was number four in the preseason AP top 25 rankings. They were ranked just below Kansas, Duke, and Purdue, while being ranked ahead of Marquette, UConn, and even Houston. The talent on this team is undeniable, as all five starters were on Michigan State last year, and they returned key players like Tyson Walker, AJ Hoggard, and Malik Hall.
All the returning talent had so much hype around this team coming into the season, just for them to start the season 4–5. A lot of people were quick to write off Michigan State, but they then jumped out to a 9–6 record in conference play. After the Spartans flipped their season, the end of the season on somewhat of a sour note, going 1-4 over their last five regular season games and losing in the second round of the Big Ten conference tournament to Purdue. Still, they are a team filled with talent and their ceiling is very high in this tournament as a nine seed. Mississippi State is back for the second year in a row in the tournament after losing in the first four last year. It is the second year for head coach Chris Jans, who has seemed to turn the program around after it was struggling under the previous coach, Ben Howland. Mississippi State is also an experienced team, although they are led by True freshman, Josh Hubbard.
Mississippi State finished just 8–10 in conference play during the regular season in the SEC, although they beat Tennessee in the SEC tournament before losing to Auburn. Mississippi State has a very good defense, ranking 18th in defensive efficiency on Kenpom. If they are to win this game, it will be a low-scoring, defensive affair against Michigan State. Overall, I think Michigan State is the most talented 9 seed in the tournament with the highest ceiling. Coming into the season ranked number four in the nation, there is no doubt they are talented. Besides their roster being filled with talent, they are extremely well coached by Tom Izzo, who has plenty of tournament experience. The balance of offense and defense for Michigan State should be too much for Mississippi State, who is much more defensively focused. Michigan State should make it to the second round for a tough contest against North Carolina.
Michigan State vs. Mississippi State Pick
Pick: Michigan State -1.5 -110 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds
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