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Consistency Eluding No. 13 Michigan State

Spartans 2-2 in Last Four Entering Big Ten Clash at Maryland

The No. 13 Michigan State Spartans look to start February on a winning note when they take on the Maryland Terrapins in a Big Ten Conference road clash on Tuesday night. The opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md.

Michigan State (16-4, 7-2 Big Ten) has alternated wins and losses over its last five games, including an 83-67 home win over the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday. The Spartans are in third place in the Big Ten standings, sitting a half-game behind the co-leading Wisconsin Badgers and Illinois Fighting Illini.

Michigan State vs Maryland: Odds, Picks & Predictions 2022
REY DEL RIO / GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP

The Terrapins (11-10, 3-7) are coming off a home loss to the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, their sixth setback in nine games. Maryland is 11th in the conference, sitting a game behind the Iowa Hawkeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions and a half-game ahead of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

If you want to bet online on this contest, the college basketball lines have the Spartans as 3½-point favorites on the road, with the over/under set at 137 points.

Almost There

Games like Saturday’s win over Michigan show the potential of the Spartans, but they just can’t seem to keep playing at the same level from game to game or even for a full 40 minutes. The previous game was a loss to Illinois, which was missing center Kofi Cockburn, and the Spartans have a lot of troubles with turnovers, committing 14.2 per game to lead the Big Ten.

“We’re just eyelashes away from being really, really good,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said after Saturday’s win.

If the Spartans are going to reach their potential, senior Gabe Brown needs to be more involved offensively. The team’s leading scorer at 13.1 points per game has averaged 7.3 points over the last three games and can go long stints without getting a shot.

Another up-and-down player for the Spartans has been freshman Max Christie, who had six and two points in losses to Northwestern and Illinois, respectively, but bounced back with 16 in the win over the Wolverines. Christie is also a very solid defender and has earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors five times.

A big key for Michigan State is the point guard play of Tyson Walker and AJ Hoggard. Walker, a Northeastern transfer, starts while sophomore Hoggard comes off the bench, but they currently rank fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Big Ten in assists per game at 4.9 apiece. Hoggard was spectacular against Michigan, going for 11 points and a career-high 10 assists while turning the ball over just once.

Needing More

Danny Manning has been the interim head coach of the Terrapins for 13 games and the team is just 6-7 under the former All-American forward. Maryland is struggling to put things together, though there have been bright spots, including an upset win over Illinois 10 days ago.

If the Terrapins are going to pull another home upset, they’ll need a big game from guard Eric Ayala, who paces the team in scoring at 15.8 points per game. Ayala has been up and down of late, scoring 22 points in games against Michigan and Rutgers, but he was held to nine against Illinois and six in the loss to Indiana on Saturday.

Forward Donta Scott needs to be a force in the paint and on the boards for Maryland. Scott is averaging 12.2 points and a team-high 6.5 rebounds, and the Spartans have been susceptible to strong games from post players in Big Ten play.

Guard Fatts Russell can be a disrupter defensively, but his 1.0 steals per game are the lowest average of his college career. Against the Spartans, his aggressive defense could force some MSU turnovers that could lead to easy hoops for the Terrapins.

Spartans Get Road Win

Michigan State has shown itself to be a very solid away from home, with its one-point loss to Illinois last week being its only road defeat in Big Ten play. Izzo’s bunch won’t take the Terrapins lightly and should be able to pull away late for an easy win.

When doing your college basketball betting, take Michigan State to win and cover on the road.

Pick: Michigan State Spartans -3½

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