The Michigan State Spartans (20-14) travel to face off against the North Carolina Tar Heels (28-7) on Saturday, March 23rd. This game will be played at Spectrum Center in Charlotte and televised on CBS. Both team’s come into this one having won their previous games. Tip-off is set for 12:00 ET.
Michigan State Spartans vs North Carolina Tar Heels
The Michigan State Spartans Are Coming Off A Win
Michigan State enters this game as a 3.5-point underdog, and they have gone 2-7 this season as an underdog. The Spartans are 20-14 overall, including a 4-9 record on the road.
Over their last 10 games away from home, Michigan State has gone 4-6, and they are coming off a 69-51 win over Mississippi State. For the season, the Spartans have gone 11-12 in Big Ten play.
Michigan State has an ATS record of 21-14 this season, including an 8-5 mark vs. the spread on the road. As the underdog, the Spartans are 6-3 vs. the spread this year and have gone 2-1 ATS in their last 3 games as the underdog.
Today’s over/under line of 140.5 is lower than the average over/under line in Michigan State’s games this season (141.5). Their over/under record this season is 14-21. Over their last three games, the average scoring total is 130 points and their OU record during that span is 1-2. So far, 17 of their games have finished with more points than today’s OU line of 140.5.
The North Carolina Tar Heels Are Coming Off A Win
North Carolina will be looking to continue their strong play at home, where they are 20-3 this season. Over their last 10 games at home, the Tar Heels have gone 8-2.
As the favorite, North Carolina has gone 27-6 this season. Overall, they are 28-7, and they are coming off a 90-62 win over Wagner.
North Carolina’s ATS record this season is 20-16, and they have gone 12-11 vs. the spread at home. Over their last 10 games as the favorite, the Tar Heels are 5-5 vs. the spread, and they have gone 1-2 ATS in their last three home games.
North Carolina’s over/under record for the season sits at 18-18, and today’s over/under line of 140.5 is lower than the average over/under line in their games (151.8). Over their last three games, their games have averaged 149 points compared to their season average of 151.3 points per game. So far, 28 of their games have finished with more points than today’s over/under line.
Michigan State Offense Breakdown
In their latest game, Michigan State offense put up 69 points against Mississippi State. They recorded an overall field goal percentage of 50% and made 10 threes. The team’s top scorer is Tyson Walker, who enters today’s matchup with an average of 18.2, while Malik Hall also carries a PPG average of 12.6 into the game.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyson Walker (G) | 18.2 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| Malik Hall (F) | 12.6 | 5.6 | 2.0 |
| A.J Hoggard (G) | 11.0 | 3.1 | 5.2 |
North Carolina Offense Breakdown
The North Carolina offense is coming off a game in which they scored 90 points vs. Wagner. Overall their field goal percentage was 55% while connecting on 9 threes. The top scorer for the Tar Heels was RJ Davis with 22 points, while Armando Bacot also added 20 to the scoreboard.
| Name | PPG | REB | AST |
|---|---|---|---|
| RJ Davis (G) | 21.4 | 3.8 | 3.5 |
| Armando Bacot (F) | 14.1 | 10.2 | 1.6 |
| Harrison Ingram (F) | 12.1 | 9.0 | 2.2 |
Michigan State Team Defense
This season, the Michigan State defense has been impressive, holding the 24th position in the country while permitting an average of 65.5 points per contest. Against Mississippi State in their most recent game, the Michigan State defense gave up a total of 51 points while allowing Mississippi State to hit 37% of their shots.
North Carolina Team Defense
The Tar Heels’ defense is presently ranked 113rd nationally, allowing an average of 69.9 points per contest. In terms of field goal percentage allowed, North Carolina’s defense has allowed opponents to shoot 40.8% from the field, including a three-point shooting percentage allowed of 31.2% this season.
Spartans vs Tar Heels Trends
- In their last ten games away from home, the Spartans have a straight up record of 4-6 while going 7-3 vs the spread. The team’s offense averaged 67 points per game in these contests.
- The Tar Heels are 2-1 ATS in their last three home games and 2-1 straight-up.
- Spanning across their last five games as the betting underdog, the Spartans have gone 4-1 vs the spread. Their overall record in these games was 1-4.
- Across their last three matchups as the betting favorite, the Tar Heels have an overall record of 2-1 while going 1-2 against the spread.
Spartans vs Tar Heels Prediction
We’re calling a win for the Tar Heels, with a final score of 76-68, and we’re taking them to cover the spread. Our recommendation is to bet on the Tar Heels at -3.5.
Right now, the over/under line for the game is sitting at 140.5 and given that our model is projecting 144 points between the teams, we like the over.
All odds are courtesy of Action247 Sportsbook. Good luck!!
* All odds are provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.Action247 does not warrant the accuracy of completeness of the information, text, graphics, links or other items contained within these post.
Last updated:March 22, 2024 Michigan State Spartans, North Carolina Tar Heels