Saturday’s Michigan State vs Oakland game is the cherry on top of the 2027 Final Four logo unveiling on Friday afternoon. The Spartans are 10-1 on the season and ranked No. 9 while Oakland is 6-6 and undefeated in conference play, but Greg Kampe and Co. are always going to be underdogs.
Tom Izzo has never lost to his good friend and long-time Oakland head coach. If there’s one sure thing on Saturday afternoon, it’s the fact that both Izzo and Kampe will be donning ugly Christmas sweaters — it’s become a tradition. Izzo acts like he hates the sweater tradition while Kampe embraces it. I think Izzo secretly loves doing it.
The ugly sweaters are just a fun storyline as the actual game will earn the spotlight.
Oakland has one of the worst defenses in college basketball, allowing nearly 85 points per game while the Spartans have one of the nation’s top defenses. Offensively, Oakland has a slight edge. This is also the fourth top-10 team that the Grizzlies have faced this season, following No. 7 Michigan, No. 1 Purdue, and No. 1 Houston. They lost the other three top-10 matchups by double figures, but will that become four double-digit top-10 losses on Saturday?
All signs are pointing to the answer being an overwhelming “yes”. Vegas has some interesting final odds that might tempt bettors who believe heavily in Michigan State.
Final betting odds for Michigan State vs Oakland
Odds courtesy of DraftKings as of Saturday, Dec. 20.
Line: Michigan State -19.5
Over/Under: 155.5
Moneyline: N/A
As you can see, Michigan State is a heavy favorite probably because Izzo has never lost to Kampe, and this year’s Spartan team is going to compete for titles. Oakland, on the other hand, has a .500 record and hasn’t been able to hang with the high-major teams it’s played.
I see Jeremy Fears Jr. doing his normal thing with 11 assists to go along with 12 points, but we’re also going to see big games from Cam Ward, Jaxon Kohler, Carson Cooper, and Divine Ugochukwu.
Michigan State wins this one comfortably.
Prediction: Oakland 75, Michigan State 101