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The NCAA basketball tournament has begun and is now down to only 16 teams after starting with 68. This third-round matchup will take place at the Mecca of sports entertainment in Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Spartans are the only team left in the Big 10 and the Wildcats are the only team left from Kansas. Both are surprising but only one team will get to join the Elite 8.
The Spartans’ heart and soul are through Tyson Walker. He guards the perimeter, he scores on tough shots and more importantly he plays his tail off every single possession. He is a player easy to root for and be entertained by and needs to have a big game against a high-scoring Wildcats team. Don’t look past Joey Hauser either. The big man can let it fly from downtown and coming off of screens. I think this will be a high-octane game in New York.
All eyes are on Keyontae Johnson in this one. He struggled in his matchup against big man and former All-American Oscar Tshiebwe in the victory over the Kentucky Wildcats. Markquis Nowell picked up the slack, firing in 27 points and dishing out 9 assists. Kansas State can not have that type of game again if they want to advance. Their most consistent scorer needs to have a solid night to play Saturday.
This is the first time these teams have met this year. Both teams score over 70 points and hold their opposition in the 60’s. Kansas State is more active with their guards defensively and has to turn the Spartans over to get the victory. I can not wait for this one.
Points
Walker- MSU 14.8 PPG 46.2 FG% 79.7 FT% Johson- KSU 17.5 PPG 51.4 FG% 73.3 FT% |
Rebounds
Hauser- MSU 7.1 RPG 5.5 DRPG 1.4 ORPG Johnson- KSU 7.0 RPG 5.4 DRPG 1.6 ORPG |
Assists
AJ Hoggard- MSU 5.9 APG 2.5 TOPG 30.3 MPG Nowell- KSU 7.8 APG 3.7 TOPG 36.6 MPG |
In this matchup, I’m taking the Michigan State Spartans to cover the 2 points. It’s tough to go against Izzo. He’s a Hall of Fame coach who gets the most out of his talent. I think he does just enough to get the win tonight by putting Tyson Walker in the best situations to succeed
The over under is sitting at 137.5. I don’t think it is enough. I wouldn’t even be shocked if this game heads to overtime to help the over hit even more. I will take the higher considering both teams comfortably average over 70 points per game.
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