First-Year Coach has No. 3 Seed Wildcats in Regionals
These teams are as different as the coaches leading them into the Sweet 16 matchup.
Tom Izzo has led Michigan State to 25 straight NCAA Tournament appearances with the Spartans reaching eight Final Fours. Kansas State’s Jerome Tang is in his first season as the Wildcats’ head coach.
The last time the Spartans played at Madison Square Garden in the NCAA Tournament, Michigan State topped top-seeded Virginia in the 2014 regional semifinals before falling to UConn in the regional final.
Coming off an upset of No. 2 seed Marquette, the college basketball odds lists the Spartans as the favorite.
No. 3 Kansas State was picked to finish last in the Big 12 preseason poll. However, first-year head coach Tang used the transfer portal to speed up the process of being a conference and national contender.
The Wildcats already took out one of the top programs in men’s college basketball with a win over Kentucky to get to the regionals and now look to end Michigan State’s quest to make another Final Four run.
When looking at the college basketball news, both teams are in pretty good shape from an injury standpoint. Jaden Akins and Malik Hall combined to miss 15 games during the regular season. They have played 63 and 56 games, respectively, in the first two NCAA Tournament games for Michigan State as the Spartans have few injury concerns.
The top three scorers and four of the top six point producers for Kansas State have played in every game this season.
Kansas State fell three spots to No. 15 in the Associated Press poll and went from 12th to 13th in the coaches’ poll. Michigan State hasn’t been in the top 25 since Week 4.
According to the odds to win March Madness, Michigan State (+2500) is ninth and Kansas State (+3000) tied for 10th in the odds to win the national championship.
Hitting the Glass
Neither Tyson Walker nor Joey Hauser began their collegiate careers at Michigan State. However, they have a chance to add their name to list of Spartans’ fan favorites with a couple more wins.
Walker and Hauser combined for 37 points while junior A.J. Hoggard added 13 points and four assists as the Spartans topped favored Marquette to reach the Sweet 16.
Walker had 17 of his 23 points in the second half to lead Michigan State to victory.
Five of the seven Michigan State players who were on the court for at least 10 minutes in the Marquette matchup were either juniors or seniors. That has played a role in the NCAA basketball odds favoring the Spartans. It doesn’t hurt that Izzo will be coaching in the Sweet 16 for the 15th time.
15 trips to the Sweet 16 under Coach Izzo 🟢⚪️ pic.twitter.com/kQbXrgoIV0
— Michigan State Men’s Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) March 20, 2023
Michigan State is just 1-6 against the college basketball lines in its last seven games against Big 12 teams.
Remember Me?
Perhaps it shouldn’t be that much of a surprise that a school located in Manhattan has four players from New York on the roster.
That makes for a rather large cheering section when Markquis Nowell, Ismael Massoud, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Tykei Greene head back to New York when Kansas State heads to Madison Square Garden for the East Region semifinals.
Nowell had 27 points and nine assists, Tomlin had 12 points on 6-of-8 shooting and Massoud had three points and two assists off the bench as Kansas State topped Kentucky 75-69 to punch a ticket to MSG.
The Wildcats won despite being outrebounded 44-25 and that includes a 19-4 differential on the offensive glass. Playing against the nation’s leading rebounder in Oscar Tshiebwe had something to do with those numbers. The Wildcats countered that with 11 steals as Nowell and David N’Guessan had three steals each.
Kansas State has covered against the NCAA basketball odds in six of its last eight games.
Kansas State vs Michigan State Game Injuries
Kansas State vs Michigan State Head-to-Head
Michigan State and Kansas State have met just three times since 1963 with the most recent matchup being a 75-43 win by the Spartans in 1996. They have never met in the postseason.
Kansas State hasn’t faced a team from the Big Ten in the NCAA Tournament since losing to Wisconsin in 2011.
Kansas State vs Michigan State Information
- Game: Michigan State (21-12) vs Kansas State (25-9)
- Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City
- Day/Time: Thursday, March 23, 6:30 p.m. ET
- Michigan State vs Kansas State Live Stream: TBS.com
Kansas State vs Michigan State State Betting Lines
Kansas State vs Michigan State Picks and Prediction
Michigan State is 8-4 and Kansas State 8-2 in games decided by six points or less and this game could head in that direction.
Michigan State is third nationally in 3-point percentage, connecting on 40.1% of its shots from distance, and is 29th in free throw accuracy. The Spartans are also in the top 50 in fewest turnovers per game so Michigan State doesn’t beat itself by throwing the ball away or missing from the foul line.
Kansas State is not an easy team to shoot against as the Wildcats allow opponents to shoot just 29.5% from 3-point range.
The teams are 11th and 12th in adjusted offensive efficiency among the 16 teams remaining in the tournament according to the Pomeroy college basketball ratings database, so don’t expect too many offensive fireworks in this matchup.
Kansas State is a great story, but the experience of the Michigan State team might be the difference.
Kansas State is 23-11 against the spread, the best mark in the Big 12. Michigan State is just 17-16 against the Las Vegas odds.
Michigan State is 17-3 when listed by the sportsbook as the favorite. Kansas State is 6-9 when listed as the underdog.
Michigan State are listed at -135 in our Vegas March Madness lines. This means that if you wager $100 on Michigan State, you have a chance to win $74. The Kansas State are +115, offering a chance to win $115 on a $100 wager.
The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Michigan State a 57.45% chance to win, with Kansas State at 46.51%.
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Kansas State vs Michigan State Edge
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Kansas State vs Michigan State Game Summary
