Tom Izzo is well aware of the narrative that surrounds his teams and Mackey Arena. The Spartans haven't won in West Lafayette in over a decade, but Thursday's Michigan State vs Purdue game has a chance to change that.
The Spartans are coming off an ugly home win over an injury-riddled Ohio State team while Purdue is fresh off a 29-point drubbing of its in-state rival.
Michigan State needs to win if it wants to keep its 3-seed hopes alive. Vegas thinks it's possible.
The Michigan State vs Purdue odds are surprising
I won't lie, when I checked the opening odds for Michigan State vs Purdue, I couldn't believe how much faith Vegas has in Izzo and the Spartans.
Odds via DraftKings as of Wednesday, Feb. 25
Line: Purdue -5.5
Over/Under: 139.5
I'm slightly surprised to see Michigan State as less than a seven or eight-point road dog, especially at Mackey Arena where the Spartans haven't won since 2014. The games haven't been particularly close either. I don't think being a 5.5-point road dog is a good thing, by any means, but when you consider how lopsided the games at Mackey have been over the past decade, you'd understand how weird it is.
The 80-74 loss in 2024 marked the closest at Mackey between these two teams since Michigan State lost by one in overtime back in 2016.
Outside of those two losses, Michigan State has gotten rocked by the Boilermakers in West Lafayette. In fact, there are five double-digit losses by Michigan State over the last seven games at Mackey Arena. It has truly been a house of horrors for the Spartans, no matter how good or bad Purdue happens to be that season.
Michigan State being a 5.5-point road dog tells me that Vegas is giving us a glimmer of hope. Personally, I believe Purdue wins, but if there was ever a year to jump up and catch the Boilermakers at Mackey, it's this season. They've lost three times at home already -- twice in Big Ten play.
We'll see if Izzo and the Spartans can get the job done on Thursday night.