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Michigan State basketball will have the opportunity to reach the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday night.
The Spartans took care of business in a relatively dominant win over No. 15 seed Bryant in the first round on Friday. Now, No. 10 seed New Mexico stands in the way of Michigan State reaching the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.
New Mexico knocked off No. 7 seed Marquette in the first round on Friday in what was considered a minor upset. The Lobos were the regular season champions of the Mountain West Conference and possess an All-American guard in Donovan Dent -- who averages more than 20 points per game.
Tip off for this matchup between the Spartans and Lobos is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. ET and will be televised on TNT. Michigan State is a sizable favorite in this matchup.
Will Michigan State be able to contain Dent and keep their season going with a second round win over New Mexico on Sunday? Check out our predictions for this first round matchup between the Spartans and Lobos below:
This is going to be a change of pace from what we saw in the first round as I expect this one to be more of a defensive slog. New Mexico is known for creating turnovers and being a tough defensive team, so I envision this being a hard fought battle into the final minutes. The advantage for the Spartans will again be their depth, which helps them stay fresh enough to pull away in the final minutes to move on to the Sweet 16.
Prediction: Michigan State 75, New Mexico 64
Underestimate a Pitino in the NCAA Tournament at your own risk but this will be MSU’s game to lose. If they keep playing like they have this year, I expect their defense to stifle the Lobos.
Prediction: Michigan State 72, New Mexico 60
This game is going to be ugly, with the game being played with defense, defense and more defense. Scoring will be at a premium in this game, but if Michigan State continues to play at a high level defensively and rebounding the basketball, they should be able to find a way to win the weekend.
Prediction: Michigan State 69, New Mexico 65
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU-New Mexico Predictions: Our staff picks for this NCAA Tournament game
Continue reading...
The Spartans took care of business in a relatively dominant win over No. 15 seed Bryant in the first round on Friday. Now, No. 10 seed New Mexico stands in the way of Michigan State reaching the Sweet 16 for the second time in three years.
New Mexico knocked off No. 7 seed Marquette in the first round on Friday in what was considered a minor upset. The Lobos were the regular season champions of the Mountain West Conference and possess an All-American guard in Donovan Dent -- who averages more than 20 points per game.
Tip off for this matchup between the Spartans and Lobos is scheduled for 8:40 p.m. ET and will be televised on TNT. Michigan State is a sizable favorite in this matchup.
Will Michigan State be able to contain Dent and keep their season going with a second round win over New Mexico on Sunday? Check out our predictions for this first round matchup between the Spartans and Lobos below:
Robert Bondy
This is going to be a change of pace from what we saw in the first round as I expect this one to be more of a defensive slog. New Mexico is known for creating turnovers and being a tough defensive team, so I envision this being a hard fought battle into the final minutes. The advantage for the Spartans will again be their depth, which helps them stay fresh enough to pull away in the final minutes to move on to the Sweet 16.
Prediction: Michigan State 75, New Mexico 64
Andrew Brewster
Underestimate a Pitino in the NCAA Tournament at your own risk but this will be MSU’s game to lose. If they keep playing like they have this year, I expect their defense to stifle the Lobos.
Prediction: Michigan State 72, New Mexico 60
Cory Linsner
This game is going to be ugly, with the game being played with defense, defense and more defense. Scoring will be at a premium in this game, but if Michigan State continues to play at a high level defensively and rebounding the basketball, they should be able to find a way to win the weekend.
Prediction: Michigan State 69, New Mexico 65
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU-New Mexico Predictions: Our staff picks for this NCAA Tournament game
Continue reading...
