Michigan State vs Indiana NCAA Basketball Gambling Lines
Tom Izzo will lead the fifth-ranked Michigan State Spartans into Bloomington to take on Tom Crean’s Indiana Hoosiers. The Spartans will be looking to win their sixth consecutive game, while Indiana will look to win their first Big Ten game after a devastating overtime loss in their conference opener. [ad-4468020]
5 Michigan State (12-1) at Indiana Hoosiers (10-4)
Date: Saturday, January 4, 2014
Time: 2:00 PM ET
Venue: Assembly Hall
City: Bloomington, Indiana
Spread: Michigan State -2.5
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Izzo and Crean have history with one another, as Crean served as an assistant under Izzo at Michigan State from 1995-99 before leaving to coach Marquette and eventually moving on to Indiana. Izzo’s Spartans won each of the six meetings between he and Crean, with five of those meetings coming since Crean’s arrival in Bloomington.
The Spartans found themselves in the top spot in the AP Poll for the first time in a long time this season, but gave up that spot after their loss to North Carolina. Even still, Michigan State has been playing some solid basketball.
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Their 83.3 points per game rank second in the Big Ten, and their 19.2 assists per game rank second in the nation. Interestingly enough, those numbers have been helped by sophomore guard Gary Harris who leads the team with 17.4 points per game – Harris is an Indiana native and was heavily recruited by Crean’s Hoosiers. Harris led the Spartans with 21 points in their last game in Bloomington, a 75-70 loss on Jan. 27.
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The Spartans got back forward Branden Dawson in their last game against Penn State following a one-game absence due to a shin injury. He looked just fine, scoring a team-high 20 points against the Nittany Lions, adding nine boards.
Indiana has been able to fill the basket quite well in their own right. The team ranks third in Big Ten scoring with 82.0 points per game. Sophomore guard Yogi Ferrell leads the team in scoring with 17.7 points per game, the fourth-best mark in the Big Ten. He opened the team’s Big Ten schedule with a career-high 30 points against Illinois.
The Hoosiers have been dominant under the boards, bringing down 45.4 rebounds per game, the fourth best mark in the nation. In their Big Ten opener against Illinois, the team outrebounded the Illini 43-31. Forward Noah Vonleh led the way with nine, including three on the offensive glass, before fouling out.
The Hoosiers have been a force at home this season going 9-0, but they’ve failed to cover the spread in four of their last five in Bloomington, haven’t covered the spread in their last four games overall, and will be facing their toughest test there this season. The Izzo-Crean factor should come into play as well. Expect the mentor to get the edge on his protege once again.
The Spartans are 4-0 ATS in their last four games overall.
The play: Michigan State -2.5
