Following a 34-point drubbing of Northwestern, Tom Izzo's Spartans will be on the road to face a struggling Big Ten foe. But don't overlook Sunday's Michigan State vs. Northwestern game, says Vegas.
Michigan State might be one of the hottest teams in college basketball right now, winning eight straight games and improving to 13-2 on the season after a 5-2 start. Oh, and the Spartans are a perfect 4-0 in Big Ten play. They have yet to be toppled and have won their first four conference games by an average of 24 points.
Northwestern is just 1-3 in Big Ten play after losing to Penn State and Purdue on the road over the past two games. The Wildcats' lone conference win is over Illinois which is an impressive victory, but as we saw on Saturday, the Illini are very beatable. Northwestern is 10-5 on the year.
But yet Vegas isn't quite sure that Michigan State will beat Northwestern on Sunday.
In fact, according to DraftKings, Michigan State is merely a 3-point favorite. Here are the complete odds for Sunday's showdown in Evanston:
Line: Michigan State -3
Over/Under: 138
Moneyline: Michigan State -148 | Northwestern +124
So what does Vegas see that we don't? Michigan State is red-hot right now and just beat a conference opponent by 34 points. The Spartans are rebounding, running, and defending at an elite level and that's why they're also 4-0 in the Big Ten. But a huge win over a Big Ten opponent at home can lead to a bit of a letdown and there's no such thing as an "easy" road game in this league.
Vegas sees that Michigan State looks like easy favorite but the Spartans have won two straight Big Ten games rather comfortably so a road battle could lead to a letdown. And Northwestern seems to have the Spartans' number in recent years.
Boo Buie is gone, but the Wildcats will still give the Spartans a battle.
I think Michigan State wins and covers but this spread shows that Vegas is far more worried about a Spartan letdown we are, apparently.