Saturday’s Michigan State vs Arkansas game will be one of the biggest matchups of the weekend, and college basketball fans everywhere will likely be tuning into this one after a long day of football.
For Spartan fans, there’s no football to worry about as Jonathan Smith’s team has a bye week — perfect timing considering the team is on a six-game losing streak. That means that the main event begins at 7 p.m. ET as the No. 22 Spartans host the No. 14 Razorbacks.
John Calipari comes to the Breslin Center for the first time as Arkansas’ head coach after spending the past 15 years with Kentucky.
There’s a lot on the line on Saturday night, and neither side is going to shy away from this matchup. The Razorbacks have one of the best backcourts in the country and they may be getting Karter Knox back from injury while the Spartans have one of the nation’s best point guards and also the best athlete in college basketball — along with some depth.
What does Vegas see playing out?
Odds are courtesy of DraftKings as of Saturday, Nov. 8.
Line: Michigan State -2.5
Over/Under: 154.5
Moneyline: Michigan State -155 | Arkansas +130
The line has been steady favoring Michigan State just slightly, and it’s clear that if this game was played on a neutral court, the game would likely be a pick ‘em.
Michigan State gets the advantage because it has home court, while Arkansas will be the slight underdog despite being the higher-ranked team. What do I see happening? I do think Arkansas’ backcourt, as well as Trevon Brazile, will be able to score in bunches throughout the night, but Michigan State’s defense will step up to make sure it doesn’t spiral out of control.
Arkansas will hold the lead early, Michigan State will come back, and the Spartans will close the game out strong with some clutch free throws down the stretch.
Prediction: Arkansas 71, Michigan State 74