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HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - OCTOBER 28: Jeremy Fears Jr. #1 of the Michigan State Spartans and Silas Demary Jr. #2 of the Connecticut Huskies go for the loose ball during the second half of an NCAA men's basketball exhibition at PeoplesBank Arena on October 28, 2025 in Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images) | Getty Images
UConn men’s basketball secured a spot in the Sweet 16 Sunday night, as the Huskies took down 7-seed UCLA 73-57. Thanks to a legendary performance from Alex Karaban and the return of point guard Silas Demary Jr., the Huskies rattled off a 14-0 run in the second half to put the Bruins away and advance to the 17th Sweet 16 in program history.
Michigan State, who beat 6-seed Louisville 77-69 on Saturday, awaits UConn in Washington, D.C. at Capital One Arena. The Spartans rank ninth overall in KenPom — one spot ahead of the Huskies — and are led by star Coen Carr, who had 21 points and 10 boards against the Cardinals. Ahead of Friday’s 9:45 p.m. matchup, which is set to be broadcast on CBS, FanDuel as the Huskies as narrow 1.5-point favorites, with moneyline odds set at -137. The over/under for the game currently stands at 136.5.
Why are the Huskies favored at FanDuel despite the Spartans being ranked higher in KenPom? This season’s exhibition matchup could be the differentiator. Tom Izzo and MSU came to PeoplesBank Arena for an exhibition in October and lost to UConn 76-69 without Tarris Reed Jr., who was still recovering from a hamstring injury. While it’s hard to look into the results from that game too much either way — there were so many fouls called (77 to be exact) that both coaches elected to allow six per player compared to five — it makes it abundantly clear that these teams are similarly matched.
With a line this small, it’s entirely possible the odds ping pong between UConn and MSU being favored all the way up to Friday night, especially with Demary Jr. and Jaylin Stewart still banged up for the Huskies. But for now, UConn has nearly an entire week for those two key rotation pieces to rest up and recover ahead of what figures to be a physical matchup with the Spartans.
For more NCAA tournament odds and futures, be sure to check out FanDuel.
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