Crimson vs Spartans Pick – NCAA Tournament
The Spartans are an early favourite to represent the East Region despite being just a #4 seed. [ad-4468020]
2014 NCAA Tournament Free Picks
East Region – Third Round
#4 Michigan State Spartans vs. # 12 Harvard Crimson
Saturday March 22
Spokane Arena – Spokane, WA
8:40PM
Moneyline: Michigan State -310, Harvard +255
Spread: Michigan State -7.5
Total: 137.5
[dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]
ATS Matchup Insight | CP Insider Gambling Preview
Michigan State
They might have given up a few more points than would have been expected against Delaware but they showed that they are ready to make a run now that the team is healthy and complete.
They also get a nice draw with Harvard instead of Cincinnati in this round. I think the athleticism of the Bearcats could have been disruptive.
C Adrien Payne was the star of the first round with 41 points. He showed his versatile game making 4 of 5 three pointers and well as all 17 of his foul shots. When he is on he makes it harder for defenses to pay close attention to the Spartans perimeter players like reserve guard Travis Trice.
*CLICK HERE* GRAB OUR BEST Expert CBB Picks for 2014 GAMBLING season!
Trice was second on the team in scoring with 19 points and missed only one FG in the game. MSU looked really good.
The Spartans are always frustrating as a spread team. Just when it looks like they might start embarrasing a team they dial it back which I have to attribute to respectful coaching. As long as they make their free throws they should cover as the favourite in this one.
Those guys from Harvard don’t quit though so watch the backdoor.
[ad-6571516]
Harvard
For the second year in a row the Crimson have pulled off a first round upset. I don’t mean to toot my own horn but I saw this one coming as I think that Harvard were just a really bad matchup for Cincinnati. It was far from a domination but the Crimson were leading for a lot of this game.
When this team can play from in front their patience and discipline are that much harder to overcome even for more talented teams.
The good news for Harvard is that they beat a pretty good team without even playing their best. They spread the ball around with 5 players scoring 9 or more points but they didn’t shoot it great and were much less consistent at the line than they have been through the season.
To beat a better scoring team like Michigan State they are probably going to have to make more than the 6 threes they did against Cincinnati
You can definitely lose your money underestimating this Harvard team.
They may not have next level talent but they are skilled, very well coached and play with great confidence.
They are certainly not intimidated by their surroundings and won’t be on Saturday.
The key for them is the start which again might be in their favour because the Ivy schedule is similar
Spread prediction: Michigan State -7.5
Totals prediction: Under
Score prediction: Michigan State 71 – Harvard 61
