3 bold predictions for Michigan State basketball rematch with No. 3 Purdue

1. Michigan State pulls off the upset

Is this really a bold prediction? Considering everyone had given up on Michigan State after the Indiana loss to end the season, I would say so. Plus, Purdue is arguably the best team in the country and a lock to be a No. 1 seed heading into the NCAA Tournament.

The Boilermakers open on Friday as 7.5-point favorites and that honestly seems fair considering the Spartans have lost four of the last six games and Purdue just won the Big Ten by three games.

On top of that, Purdue is well-rested having gotten a double-bye as the 1-seed.

Michigan State has some newfound confidence after gutting out a solid win over Minnesota and essentially punching its ticket to the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. The Spartans feel like when the guards are playing to their potential, no one can stop them. They did that in the second half on Thursday and it's why they were able to pull away from the Gophers.

I think we see the guards play at an elite level again, leading to the biggest upset of the tournament.

Hey, at the beginning of the year, the Big Ten was supposed to be a two-team race between Michigan State and Purdue so a win by the Spartans here shouldn't be shocking.

Michigan State wins 74-71.