UCLA vs Michigan State -2 O/U 135
Welcome to the play-in games. UCLA started their season off very well and were 12-2 at one point. Since then, the Bruins have lost 2 big players in Jalin Hill and Chris Smith. The rest of the season has been a bit of a struggle for them. Michigan State on the other hand has faced the same challenges as well as a Covid pause but they are healthy right now and we all know March has been very good for Tom Izzo. From a simple matchup perspective UCLA has the shooting advantage at 52% effective FG% to 47.9% but sparty has the rebounding advantage of 37.6 to 35.3 per game. Michigan State gets the nod in defensive efficiency but ranking 34th on Kenpom to UCLA’s 85th. Both teams are equal in assists to turnover ratio but the kicker here for me is how hard the conference is and how these teams have finished their season. UCLA has lost 4 game in a row coming into this play-in game and Sparty has beaten Illinois, Michigan and Ohio state at the end of their season to get in this thing. I like Mike Cronin and all as a coach, but I think that Izzo’s team here with the experience gets the W. Taking Sparty.
Michigan State -2 – 2 stars
