After beating Illinois on Saturday to improve to 20-4, Michigan State got a much-needed break. The past four or five days have been used to rest up and get right before a huge road game against a red-hot Wisconsin team.
The last time Michigan State played in Madison, it didn’t exactly go the Spartans’ way. Tom Izzo and Co. are hoping for better luck this time around with a more experienced team.
Michigan State just picked up one of its best wins of the season on Saturday evening to improve to 10-3 in conference play while Wisconsin welcomed Illinois back to Champaign with a second straight defeat. The Badgers climbed back into that game to win it on the road, and that should terrify Michigan State fans because their backcourt duo is deadly.
Given the trends, you would be led to believe that Vegas would be all in on a Badger upset, but that’s surprisingly not the case.
Vegas likes Michigan State’s road chances
Michigan State has been fairly shaky on the road this season, but that hasn’t stopped Vegas from tabbing the Spartans as the opening favorites over Wisconsin.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of Feb. 12
Line: Michigan State -1.5
Over/Under: 145.5
Moneyline: Michigan State -125 | Wisconsin +105
It’s a little surprising to see Michigan State opening as road favorites against a red-hot Wisconsin team that just went to Illinois and picked up a win and is a few weeks removed from a road victory over the Michigan Wolverines. The Badgers have beaten two of the Big Ten’s best teams on the road over the past month, and yet the Spartans who have lost two of three games are favored to win at the Kohl Center.
Mind you, the Kohl Center is one of the toughest places to play in the Big Ten.
Wisconsin is playing some of the best basketball in the Big Ten right now, winning eight out of its last 10 games, and it gets a home game against a top-10 opponent with a chance to move up in the Big Ten standings. Yet Vegas thinks that this game is Michigan State’s to lose.