Nebraska vs Michigan State Prediction, Game Preview, Live Stream, Odds & Picks

Big Ten Conference Rivalry

· Jan 03 - 5 minutes read

Spartans Charging Forward

The Michigan State Spartans are riding a winning streak as they welcome the Nebraska Cornhuskers to town on Tuesday.

Most of the early sportsbook money has come for the Spartans, who are the -7 favorites to extend their winning streak to five.

Keisei Tominaga #30 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers | Andy lyons/getty images/afp

The Big Ten Conference has never been stronger, and they have ground to make up on the likes of Purdue and Wisconsin.

Let’s check the latest march madness predictions, stats, injury reports, and march madness picks for Nebraska vs Michigan State. We’ve plenty of march madness expert picks for you to consider.

Cornhuskers Face Tough Road Test

Momentum has been hard to come by for the Cornhuskers, but they’re now riding a two-game winning streak, which could be enough to instill confidence.

They defeated Queens University 75-65 before scoring an upset 66-50 win over Iowa as the +4 NCAAB betting underdog on Dec. 29. It was a classy victory, which gets them back into contention, especially if they can limit the Spartans to around 50 points.

Prior to that win, they had failed to cover the spread in three of their last four games, including an 81-65 loss as the +13½ underdog against Indiana. They are the underdogs again against the Spartans, who aren’t an easy team to play on the road.

Bettors are hoping their defense plays well. They have allowed only 64.8 points per game, which is a similar level to Michigan State, but if they knuckle down and limit them, that could allow the offense to get going.

Their season leader in points is Sam Griesel, who averages 10.7 points per game. That’s a worrying statistic, but Nebraska plays team ball and it’s capable of covering the spread.

Spartans Turning It Around

Michigan State suffered consecutive losses to Notre Dame and Northwestern before rattling off four consecutive wins.

The Spartans got the better of Penn State, Brown, Oakland, and Buffalo. They’re not top-level teams but scoring 89 points against Buffalo on Dec. 30 makes them a threat to put up a big number on Nebraska.

“I think we’re going to be a better team,” coach Tom Izzo said. “We got to get better quick, though. I look at this and I say, ‘We won by 21. What the hell’s wrong with you?’ And yet I think when I watch the film, I’m going to feel worse rather than better, because I didn’t like the little things we did. So we’ll get to work on those.”

Bettors struggled with the Spartans for a while, which included failing to cover the spread in five of a six-game run. However, they’re heading in the right direction with three covers from their last four games.

The last time the Spartans were favored around -7 came when losing to Northwestern as -6 NCAAB odds favorites in December last year. They lost outright 70-63, so that’s a concern for favorite bettors. However, they’re playing a team ranking 286th in offense, which comes with its benefits.

Nebraska vs Michigan State Game Injuries

Nebraska vs Michigan State Head-to-Head

Nebraska covered the last two spreads against Michigan State despite losing the game straight-up.

The Cornhuskers were +12½ and +15 underdogs in those games when losing both by double-digits, but they did enough to keep bettors happy.

However, the Spartans have a 6-4 ATS record from their last 10 games against the Cornhuskers.

Nebraska vs Michigan State Game Information

Game: Nebraska (8-6) vs Michigan State (9-4)
Day/Time: Tuesday, Jan. 3, 7:00 p.m. ET
Location: Breslin Center, East Lansing
Nebraska vs Michigan StateLive Stream: TBS.com

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Nebraska vs Michigan State Betting Lines

Betting Odds Calculator

Nebraska vs Michigan State Picks & Prediction

Michigan State is the better team, but as betting statistics suggest, Nebraska is good at keeping it close.

It won’t be an easy cover for the Cornhuskers, who need to improve on offense, but we’re picking them to keep it within 7 points.

Under 132 is also worth taking. It’s about as low as a college basketball line gets, but these are two low-scoring teams.

Michigan State is listed at -300 in our Vegas NCAAB lines. This means that if you wager $100 on the Spartans, there’s a chance to win $33. Nebraska is +250, offering a chance to win $250 on a $100 wager.

The implied probability attached to the betting lines gives Michigan State a 75.00% chance to win, with the Cornhuskers at 28.57%.

BET THIS PICK: Nebraska +7

BET THIS PICK: Nebraska Under 132