March Madness Odds: New Mexico State vs Michigan State
by Nick Meyer
There's no team that excels in March Madness quite like Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans.
Every year, it seems like MSU hibernates a bit until spring before going on a huge run in the tournament and bringing tons of basketball excitement to East Lansing, Michigan as well as large sums of money to college basketball betting fans who continue to show confidence in Izzo's March expertise.
2010 was supposed to be the year the Spartans put it all together and brought back a second NCAA title for Izzo, but the team has underachieved a bit in many fans' eyes.
The Spartans still managed to win a share of the Big Ten Title, however, which shows just how high expectations are in the Wolverine State.
New Mexico State on the other hand is just happy to make the NCAA Tournament, and now they have a tough task as they will tangle with one of the most athletic and explosive teams in the country in round one of the big dance.
NCAA Tournament Midwest Region Matchup
12. New Mexico State Aggies (22-11 SU, 15-12-1 ATS) vs. 5. Michigan State Spartans (24-8 SU, 12-18 ATS)
7:20 pm ET Friday, March 19. Spokane, WA, CBS TV
NCAA Betting Line: MSU favored at -13.
Many folks around East Lansing are not happy that MSU only got a 5 seed considering they won part of a title in a pretty good Big Ten league, and that extra bit of motivation is exactly the kind of thing that often fuels MSU to long tournament runs.
That could happen again but MSU will first have to get past a solid New Mexico State team.
The Spartans used to be called the Aggies as well before changing their name and now they've drawn a team that is a high-scoring group that mirrors MSU's philosophy.
The defensive end is a different story, however, as NMSU hasn't been very good for most of the year.
They only outscore opponents by about a point per game while MSU boasts a 9 point margin per game.
Still, any mid-major team that can score in bunches is a significant challenge for a major conference power that may be overlooking them.
NMSU has five guys that score in double digits and that should allow Izzo to get MSU's players' attention in the film room.
MSU will be able to score all over the Aggies, however, and that should lead to a solid win.
The question is whether or not Michigan State can cover the betting spread, and with two big-time players to worry about who can score in bunches in Jahmar Young and Jonathan Gibson on the floor for NMSU, that will be a tall order for the Spartans.
NCAA Tournament Betting Pick: New Mexico State (+13) to cover.
