Tuesday night’s Michigan State vs Indiana game will be an excellent barometer to see exactly where the Spartans stand a third of the way through Big Ten play.
Michigan State is currently 4-1 in Big Ten play and Indiana is right behind the Spartans at 3-2, looking to pull off a huge road upset. The Hoosiers are especially hungry after losing a home game to undefeated Nebraska despite looking like they had the win in the bag with a 16-point second-half lead over the Cornhuskers.
That loss in Bloomington hurt because it was an opportunity for Indiana to prove that it’s a legit contender in the Big Ten this season, and it would’ve gotten national attention.
However, Fred Hoiberg and the Cornhuskers had other ideas, pulling off a massive comeback to beat the Hoosiers on their own floor to stay undefeated.
Now, Indiana will be in East Lansing hoping for an upset once again.
Michigan State has other ideas.
The Spartans are fresh off a sloppy 10-point win over Northwestern at home, right after beating USC by nearly 30 points. They’d like to cap off the home stand with another double-digit win over a quality tournament-caliber team.
The odds are moving in Michigan State’s direction.
Final betting odds for Michigan State vs Indiana
Vegas believes the Spartans should win this game, but not exactly in blowout fashion. The odds have been moving slightly in Michigan State’s favor, however.
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of Jan. 13.
Spread: Michigan State -7.5
Over/Under: 144.5
Moneyline: Michigan State -310 | Indiana +250
An upset wouldn’t be shocking, according to Vegas, but Michigan State is a healthy favorite heading into this one.
I see the Spartans taking care of the Hoosiers, and feeding off the return of the normal Izzone. The alumni Izzone did a really good job, but there’s something about getting the students back that really fires up the team, and we’re going to see some big dunks and clutch threes blow the roof off the Breslin Center.
Michigan State lets Indiana hang around for a while, but eventually puts the Hoosiers away.
Prediction: Indiana 66, Michigan State 75