Michigan vs. Michigan State basketball prediction: 2023 NCAAB picks

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The Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans will face off in a Big Ten matchup this Saturday, and both teams have had decent starts to their seasons. The Wolverines are 9-5 overall and 8-6 against the spread, while the Spartans are 10-4 overall but just 7-7 against the spread. Both teams could use a big rivalry win to jump start their seasons, so our experts broke down the matchup.

Let’s dive into their Michigan vs. Michigan State prediction with odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook.

MICHIGAN VS. MICHIGAN STATE PREDICTION: Michigan State -4.5 (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

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Michigan vs Michigan State: Basketball rivalry renews on Saturday, January 7, 2023

These are two familiar teams, and both head coaches know how much the Michigan vs. Michigan State rivalry means. However, they aren’t the only ones that know how much this game means, and we anticipate a strong showing from Michigan State’s fans Saturday afternoon. The Spartans are 6-1 at home this season, and Michigan’s only road game was against Minnesota, who are 6-7 overall and 13th in the Big Ten.

A home-court advantage has been the difference when these teams meet, and the home team has won seven straight games in this matchup. Additionally, the winning margin in those contests has been double digits. So, not only is the home team winning this matchup recently, but they’ve been winning by a wide margin. Unfortunately for Michigan, we anticipate more of the same Saturday afternoon.

Michigan vs. Michigan State prediction, matchup & stats

Michigan is averaging 76.5 points per game (fifth in the Big Ten) and is giving up 69.4 points per contest (13th in the Big Ten). Michigan State is putting up 71.2 points per game (10th in the Big Ten), but their defense allows 65.8 points per contest (ninth in the Big Ten). Although it may seem like Michigan has outperformed Michigan State, they’ve had a much easier schedule.

The Wolverines’ most important games this season were against Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Maryland. They went 1-3 against those squads, and none of the games were played in a hostile environment. Meanwhile, the Spartans have faced Gonzaga, Kentucky, Villanova, Alabama and Oregon and just picked up a big road win at Penn State. Michigan State went 3-2 against those other five teams, and their only losses were against #9 Gonzaga (64-63) and #7 Alabama (81-70).

Today’s NCAAB pick for Michigan vs. Michigan State: Michigan State -4.5 (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)

We anticipate a large and loud crowd this Saturday, which should be a big boost for Michigan State. The Spartans have rattled off four straight wins in…