When you look at the March Madness starting bracket, it can be a little overwhelming trying to decide where to begin when it comes time to start filling things out and who you are going to wager on. It’s the topic of discussion at every single water cooler across the country, as everyone with even a passing interest in college basketball wants to know if their pick is the same as everyone else’s as it’s all about validation, but we won’t know if those picks are correct until someone cuts down the nets on April 2. If you have the Michigan State Spartans as your choice, then you are certainly in a very good company, as that is who former President Barack Obama has pegged as his pick to win it all, no matter what the 2018 March Madness odds might end saying.
The Spartans are in as the #3 seed in the Midwest Region and need to be considered one of the favorites to come out of that region and into the Final Four. They will get their tournament started on Friday night against the Bucknell Bison as a 14 ½ point favorite.
The Spartans finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the nation, reeling off 13-straight wins before falling to the Michigan Spartans in the Big Ten tournament. That loss may actually have cost them a #2 seed in the tournament, but that may not matter until we get to the Elite 8 and beyond. It is certainly going to be interesting to see how Bucknell tries to break down a defense that only gave up 64.8 PPG this season.
Bison vs. Spartans 2018 March Madness Odds & Prediction
.@MilesBridges01 has been named a Second Team All-American by the @USBWA, his 3⃣rd All-American honor in the last week 👀
More: https://t.co/lUD3stvchx#GoGreen pic.twitter.com/rsPRrqsTjH — Spartan Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) 12 de marzo de 2018
- When: Friday, March 16 at 7:10 PM EST
- Where: Little Caesars Arena, Detroit
- TV: CBS
- Radio: TuneIn
- Live Stream: MM Live
- March Madness Odds: Michigan State Spartans -14.5
Team Records
- All: Bucknell Bison 25-9 / Michigan State Spartans 29-4
- Home: Bucknell Bison 15-1 / Michigan State Spartans 19-2
- Away: Bucknell Bison 10-8 / Michigan State Spartans 10-2
- ATS: Bucknell Bison 5-5 / Michigan State Spartans 15-16-2
- Over/Under: Bucknell Bison 5-4 / Michigan State Spartans 16-16
2018 March Madness Betting Tips from the Pros
Last Matchup
- Score: Bucknell Bison 52.00 / Michigan State Spartans 64.00
- Field Goal Percentage: Bucknell Bison 41.51 / Michigan State Spartans 40.00
- Rebounds: Bucknell Bison 39.00 / Michigan State Spartans 42.00
- 3 Point Shots: Bucknell Bison 7-21 / Michigan State Spartans 4-19
- Steals: Bucknell Bison 4.00 / Michigan State Spartans 7.00
Why consider the Bison March Madness Odds?
To really see what a team is all about, you need to look at heir entire body of work over the course of the season. For a team like the Bucknell Bison from the Patriot Conference, losing the opening 4 games of the season is not totally unexpected when you are just trying to put in a good showing against non-conference teams like the UNC Tar Heels. This is a team that was able to shake off that early setback and finds a way to get into a winning groove. They won the regular season conference title by a comfortable 4-game margin, and then followed that up by knocking off Colgate to win the Conference Championship. This is a team that won 18 of its last 19 games, scoring over 81 PPG this season while giving up 72 PPG. That latter number would probably have been a whole lot smaller were it not for some of the shootouts that they got pulled into. This defense is good, holding Colgate to 54 points in the title game.Team Statistics
- Points Per Game: 81.1
- Rebounds Per Game: 36.9
- Assists Per Game: 14.5
- Points Allowed: 72.9
Why consider the Spartans March Madness Odds?
Every team heading into the tournament carries some level of pressure on their shoulders. It can be argued that the load got a little heavier for the Michigan State Spartans when it was revealed that they were the national champion pick of former President Barack Obama. At some point, though, that pressure goes away once the games actually begin, as there is little time to think about being a favorite when you are in the thick of the action.
The Spartans finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the nation, reeling off 13-straight wins before falling to the Michigan Spartans in the Big Ten tournament. That loss may actually have cost them a #2 seed in the tournament, but that may not matter until we get to the Elite 8 and beyond. It is certainly going to be interesting to see how Bucknell tries to break down a defense that only gave up 64.8 PPG this season.
Team Statistics
- Points Per Game: 81.00
- Rebounds Per Game: 40.8
- Assists Per Game: 19.3
- Points Allowed: 64.8
Latest College Basketball Betting Trends
- Michigan State is 2-7-2 ATS in its last 11 games
- Michigan State is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
- The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Michigan State’s last 5 games
- Bucknell 8-7 ATS vs the number.
- Over/Under bettors have seen Bucknell go 9-6
