March Madness Betting: Tennessee Volunteers vs. Michigan State Spartans
 Tennessee Volunteers (28-8, 15-16-2 ATS) |
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 Michigan State Spartans (27-8, 14-20 ATS) |
Combatants from the Midwest Bracket that weren’t figured to be in the Elite 8 will do battle at the Edward Jones Dome on Saturday afternoon to fill the third of four spots in Indianapolis for the Final Four when the #5 Michigan State Spartans meet the #6 Tennessee Volunteers. Both teams needed dramatic second half runs to get through their Sweet 16 matchups. Tennessee need some clutch free throws and a timely blocked shot as time expired to take care of #2 Ohio State, while MSU used its strong defense to dismiss the sweethearts of this tourney, #9 Northern Iowa.
HC Bruce Pearl came up with a fantastic game plan to stop the Buckeyes by deploying a ton of substitutions to try to wear down the Big Ten champs. The plan worked to perfect, as down the stretch, Tennessee looked like the far sharper team. Pearl knows that he probably doesn’t have the talent level to win the NCAA Tournament, but his scheme may be good enough. F Wayne Chism had arguably the best game of his entire career against OSU, scoring 22 points and bringing down 11 boards.
Michigan State passed its first test without G Kalin Lucas, who is out of the lineup with a ruptured Achilles tendon. G Korie Lucious did what he had to do in a starter’s role, scoring ten points, picking up six boards, and dishing out four assists. F Durrell Summers took over the scoring duties by putting in 19 points on 7/15 shooting. F Raymar Morgan was MIA for the most part, as he was relegated to bench duties after being in foul trouble for the majority of the evening.
Even though their L/2 foes have now both been from the Big Ten, this is a significantly different fight for the Volunteers. Michigan State is deep enough and experienced enough to counter the Tennessee depth, and HC Tom Izzo may be the best coach left standing in this tournament. The more games that Sparty plays without Lucas, the better it is going to become. We’ll take experience over depth in this one, as Michigan State makes a return trip to the Final Four.
Selection: Michigan State Spartans
The Spartans are 6-1 ATS in their L/7 games played against the SEC. Diamond Sportsbook currently has a March Madness betting line of Michigan State +2 to sink your teeth into right now!
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