Indiana Michigan State Basketball Odds
Posted by Jack Jones - Google+
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The No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers (23-3, 11-2 Big Ten) travel to face the No. 4 Michigan State Spartans (22-4, 11-2 Big Ten) on Tuesday, February 19th in one of the biggest games of the season. This Big Ten battle will be nationally televised on ESPN at 7:00 EST Tuesday night. Oddsmakers in Las Vegas have installed Indiana as a 1-point favorite over Michigan State.
Why Indiana Covers
The Hoosiers have been doing an excellent job of holding onto the No. 1 ranking since taking it back over a few weeks ago. They have won three straight in blowout fashion, including an 81-68 victory at then-No. 10 Ohio State on February 10th. They have followed that victory up with emphatic home victories over Nebraska (76-47) and Purdue (83-55).
Indiana has won its last two meetings with Michigan State, including a 75-70 home victory in their first meeting of the season. Four players scored in double figures led by Victor Oladipo’s 21 points. He also added seven rebounds, six steals and three blocks as he did it all to help the Hoosiers get the victory. They have two Player of the Year candidates in Oladipo and Cody Zeller (16.6 PPG, 8.2 RPG).
The Hoosiers are an impressive 5-1 against the spread in their last 6 games overall. Indiana is 4-1 against the spread in its last 5 games following a S.U. win. The Spartans are 10-22-2 against the spread in thier last 34 Tuesday games. The Hoosiers are 5-1 in true road games this season with their only loss coming at Illinois 72-74 after blowing a double-digit lead late.
Why Michigan State Covers
The Spartans have been absolutely rolling since that loss to Indiana on January 27th. They have gone 5-0 SU and 3-1-1 against the spread while beating the likes of Minnesota and Michigan along the way. That includes a dominant 75-52 victory over the Wolverines despite being a 1.5-point underdog in that contest. There’s no question that these players want revenge from that 75-70 road loss to the Hoosiers.
You have to like their chances of getting it considering how well they have played at home this season. Michigan State is a perfect 15-0 at home this year while scoring 71.5 points per game and allowing just 55.2 points per game. It is outscoring opponents by an average of 16.3 points per game at home this year.
Home-court advantage has clearly been a huge factor in this series between the Spartans and Hoosiers. The home team has won four straight and eight of the last 10 meetings. Dating back further, the home team is 16-5 against the spread in the last 21 meetings. The Spartans are 5-1-1 against the spread in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600. The Hoosiers are 2-5 against the spread in their last 7 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.
