If you’re anything like me, you’ve been craving basketball since about Week 3 of the 2026 college football season and fortunately for us, Monday tips off the regular season of hoops.
Michigan State vs. Quinnipiac will be the first game of the season as Tom Izzo begins his quest for a second national title. He has the horses, he just needs to hope everyone can stay healthy and that they shook off that rust that was evident during exhibition play.
The Spartans will host Quinnipiac which is definitely no slouch after winning 19 games a year ago and then 20-plus in each of the three previous seasons. The Bobcats are one of the top favorites to win the Metro this season after four straight solid seasons in the MAAC. They are actually projected to either win the conference or finish in that top-three range by just about everyone who covers the conference.
Not only that, but Keith McKnight might just be the conference’s best player and the favorite to win some hardware at the end of the season. This is not going to be a cakewalk.
The crazy thing about college basketball is that anyone can upset anyone on any given night, and the Spartans have fallen victim to season-opening upsets before — James Madison, anyone?
Vegas doesn’t expect that to happen, though. Actually, it expects a blowout.
Odds via DraftKings as of Monday, Nov. 2.
Line: Michigan State -30.5
Over/Under: 152.5
Moneyline: Michigan State -100000 | Quinnipiac +5000
As you can see, Vegas isn’t expecting anything funny to happen in East Lansing on Monday night. Surely that’s a good sign, right?
Predicting Michigan State vs. Quinnipiac
Contrary to popular belief, this game isn’t all that easy to predict.
Michigan State struggled during exhibition play against UConn and Marquette and that raised some alarm bells. It’s going to take a little bit for the Spartans to shake off that rust and it’s not just going to happen overnight. There will still be signs of rust, even against a team from the Metro like Quinnipiac.
On the flip side, Quinnipiac could very well be an NCAA Tournament team and anything is possible whenever a mid-major has a star player. Keith McKnight is just that — he’ll be matched up with Cam Ward or Coen Carr all night.
If Michigan State plays to its potential defensively, everything else will take care of itself, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen early this season as the offense is ironed out.
Michigan State wins comfortably, but not in “blowout” fashion.
Final score: Quinnipiac 56, Michigan State 74
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