Michigan State Spartans vs North Carolina Tar Heels Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/23/2024

Game Time: 5:30 pm ET, Saturday, March 23, 2024

Venue:  Spectrum Center, Charlotte, NC

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  MSU +4, UNC -4; Over/Under:  140.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  MSU +4, UNC -4; Over/Under:  140.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  MSU +3.5, UNC -3.5; Over/Under:  139.5 points

Michigan State Spartans:  20-14 (10-10) (6th place, Big Ten)

North Carolina Tar Heels:  28-7 (17-3) (1st place, ACC)

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Michigan State Spartans:  3-2  last 5

North Carolina Tar Heels:  4-1  last 5

Michigan State is entering this game with a 20-14 record overall, a 10-10 record in conference games, and they are 3-3 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their last game. Tyson Walker led the team in points per game in that game with 19 while Jaden Akins was next on the team with 15. AJ Hoggard led the team in assists with 8 in that game while Mady Sissoko led the team in rebounds with 9. They were 50% from the field, 43.5% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 73 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 65.5 PPG against them. Michigan State has an ATS record of 19-14-1 this season and their O/U record is 14-20.

North Carolina is entering this game with a 28-7 record overall, a 17-3 conference record, and they are 6-4 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Wagner Seahawks in their last game. RJ Davis led the team in points in that game with 22 while Armando Bacot was next on the team with 20. Elliot Cadeau and Jae'Lyn Withers each led the team in assists with 3 in that game while Armando Bacot led the team in rebounds with 15. They were 55% from the field, 50% from 3-point range, and 78.9% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 81.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 70 PPG against them. North Carolina has an ATS record of 20-15 this season and their O/U record is 17-17-1.

The current betting odds have North Carolina listed as a 4 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. North Carolina has looked really good in their games this season with their 28-7 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also earned themselves a number 1 seed in this tournament. They also looked great in the ACC this year with their 17-3 conference record which led the way all season. They are 6-4 in their neutral site games and did lose in the finals of their conference tournament, but they have still looked really good lately with their 4-1 record in their last 5 games. Meanwhile, Michigan State hasn't looked great in their games this season with their 20-14 record overall and their 10-10 conference record in the Big Ten which had them right in the middle of the pack. They didn't really make a dent in their conference tournament either and they haven't looked great in their neutral site games with their 3-3 record in those. They haven't looked as good in their games lately with their 3-2 record in their last 5 games and as good as they looked in their win against Mississippi State, they were still really fortunate to even be here while UNC did earn the number 1 seed they are in and are out to prove a point this year after the season they had last year. The best way to place a bet here is on North Carolina to cover the spread in this game. 

Michigan State North Carolina Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Saturday, March 23, 2024 (5:30 pm ET start time) is UNC 78 MSU 66.

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Michigan State Spartans: 33-22 ATS as a neutral court underdog of 6 points or less or pick. 8-4 ATS when playing with one or less days rest. 33-20 UNDER as a neutral court underdog of 6 points or less or pick. 13-6 UNDER after 1 or more consecutive unders. 

North Carolina Tar Heels: 11-20 ATS after playing 4 consecutive games as favorite. 7-12 ATS when playing their 2nd game in 3 days. 8-3 UNDER after scoring 85 points or more. 56-32 UNDER after a game where they made 50% of their 3 point shots or better.

Michigan State Spartans:  J. Fears Jr (G) out for season - Leg. G. Normand (G) Out indefinitely - Foot.

North Carolina Tar Heels:  None.

“I thought this was one of the better first game performances of a team that was, and deservedly so, seeded a little lower. We brought everything from the get-go. We moved the ball well. We shot the ball well. We rebounded the ball.” - Tom Izzo after his team’s win against MS State in their last game in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

“I think he did set the tone. J-Wit, his energy and effort on both ends of the floor really ignited us and got us the lead going into halftime. He came off the bench and his production was real.” - Hubert Davis after his team’s win against Wagner in their last game in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday.

J. Akins 

M. Hall 

A. Hoggard 

M. Sissoko 

T. Walker

A. Bacot 

E. Cadeau 

R. Davis 

H. Ingram 

C. Ryan

PPG: T. Walker (18.4)

APG: A. Hoggard (5)

Reb/G: M. Hall (5.7)

PPG: R. Davis (21.1)

APG: E. Cadeau (4)

Reb/G: A. Bacot (10.1)

Coaches:

Michigan State Spartans: Tom Izzo (29th season)

North Carolina Tar Heels: Hubert Davis (3rd season)