Michigan vs. Michigan State NCAA basketball pick

Despite losing three straight to the Wolverines, the Spartans are favored by -8.5 in the NCAA basketball odds with the total at 126.

No. 22 Michigan (17-6 SU, 11-8-1 ATS) is off to its best start under head coach John Beilein and has matched the best 23-game start since 2005. MU is 7-3 in conference play and is tied for second with Wisconsin, just a half-game back of Ohio State (7-2).

In their last outing on Wednesday, Michigan spanked Indiana 68-56 as Trey Burke had 18 points while Tim Hardaway Jr. and Zach Novak had 13 apiece. The Spartans were nine of 22 from beyond the arc (40.9 percent) and are now second in the Big Ten with 8.1 3-pointers per game.

Hardaway leads the team in overall scoring (15.1 ppg), but in conference games it’s freshman Burke leading the way (15.9 ppg). Michigan loves to shoot the three with 44.0 percent of its field-goal attempts coming from long range.

Shake it off

For the third time in the last four meetings, the 10^th ranked Spartans (17-5 SU, 12-7 ATS) head into the rivalry game with Michigan coming off of a loss. On Tuesday, Michigan State shot a season low 24 percent from the field (14 of 58) falling to Illinois 42-41. The defeat dropped the Spartans to 6-3 in conference play and a half-game back of the Wolverines.

Since their 60-59 loss to Michigan on January 17, the Spartans have defeated Purdue and Minnesota inside the Breslin Center, en route to being one of three teams in the Big Ten with an undefeated record (13-0) at home -- joining the Wolverines (13-0) and Ohio State (16-0).

Mr. Everything

Draymond Green is the unquestioned leader of the Spartans. He the team in scoring (14.9 ppg), rebounding (10.3 rpg), minutes (32.3 mpg), steals (33) and blocks (24), while ranking second in assists (3.5 apg). He leads the Big Ten in rebounding, defensive rebounds and is tied for second in offensive rebounds. He’s also in the top 10 in scoring, assists, steals and blocks.

MSU's defensive effort has been impressive this season. The Spartans are 24^th in the nation in scoring (59.4 points per game), eighth in field goal defense (37 percent), including .29 percent from 3-point range (18th in nation).

Numbers game

Michigan is currently 7-5 against the NCAA RPI Top 50, which is the most wins by any team in the country. The Wolverines are 3-3 against the NCAA RPI Top 25.

Four of Michigan's six losses have come at the hands of Top 25 teams: Duke, Virginia, Indiana and Ohio State.

The Series

Michigan leads the all-time series with Michigan State, 94-74. The Spartans, however, own a 45-36 advantage in games played in East Lansing. MSU has won 18 of the last 24 games overall, and 11 of the last 12 at Breslin Center. Michigan has dominated the series in recent years winning the last three meetings.

Coaches

John Beilein is in his fifth season as head coach of the Wolverines. He has an 84-73 record with at U-M, including two 20-win seasons and two trips to the NCAA Tournament (2009 & 2011). He’s in his 34^th year as a head coach and has compiled a record of 635-391.

In his 17th year, Izzo is 400-166 (.707), and 189-88 (.682) and ranks as the winningest coach in Michigan State history. He earned Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in 1998 and 2009 and is 18-11 in his career against the Wolverines.

Harvey’s Take: Michigan State is about as inconsistent as it gets and for that reason alone, they get an automatic fade from me. Although I think Michigan is the stronger ‘side’, the under is going in my NCAA basketball picks for today! This one should be a black and blue ‘clankfest’—heavy on the defense, lacking seriously on offense.

Good luck!