Davidson’s best player this season probably was Michigan State transfer Foster Loyer, and now Loyer gets a chance to end his former team’s season as No. 10 Davidson faces No. 7 Michigan State in NCAA Tournament West Region action on Friday. The Spartans are short favorites on the NCAAB odds.

How to Bet Davidson vs. Michigan State NCAA Basketball Odds & TV Info

• When: Friday, 9:40 PM ET
• Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, SC
• TV: CBS
• Stream: https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live
• Radio: Tunein.com
• Opening NCAAB Lines: Michigan State -1 (total 140.5)

Why Bet on Davidson?

After losing Kellan Grady to Kentucky in the transfer portal, Bob McKillop’s squad was picked to finish sixth in the

\10. Davidson proceeded to assemble one of the country’s top offensive attacks without its best player from a season ago.

Davidson (27-6) won the Atlantic 10 regular-season title but was upset in the conference title game 64-62 by Richmond — the Wildcats still got an at-large bid.  Richmond closed on a 10-2 run in the final 1:22 to rally.

Davidson had a pair of looks in the closing seconds to tie or win the game, but was unable to convert. Sam Mennenga led Davidson with 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including four 3-pointers, while frontcourt mate Luka Brajkovic added his second straight double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Michael Jones also scored in double figures for the Wildcats with 17 points.

Foster Loyer (16.7), Hyunjung Lee (16.3), Brajkovic (14.3) and Michael Jones (11.8) are each averaging double figures for the Wildcats. Loyer enters third nationally in 3-point field-goal percentage, shooting 45.0 percent. In addition, he leads the nation in free-throw percentage (.932). Davidson’s starting lineup is shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and 41.4 percent from 3-point range. Brajkovic was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year who gives McKillop the luxury of a 6-10 veteran who can space the floor, post up, distribute the ball and defend the paint.

The Wildcats rank among the nation’s best in field-goal percentage (14th), 3-point field-goal percentage (T-5th) and assist/turnover ratio (16th). Davidson is 23-1 on the season when hitting the 70-point plateau, with its only setback coming in the regular-season finale against Dayton.

Davidson, which earned its second (2015) at-large bid in school history, is 8-15 all-time in the NCAA Tournament with its last appearance coming in 2018.

Why Bet on Michigan State?

Michigan State (22-12) lost in the Big Ten Tournament semifinal 75-70 to Purdue. Michigan State trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half and cut the lead down to one point with less than six minutes left before Purdue used a late run to pull away.

Sophomore guard A.J. Hoggard led the way for the Spartans with a double-double, scoring 17 points and handing out 10 assists, while senior forward Gabe Brown added 16 points and four rebounds. Point guard Tyson Walker sprained his ankle and is in question for this game.

Michigan State’s streak of 24 straight NCAA Tournaments is not only a Big Ten record, it’s also tied for the third-longest in NCAA history (Kansas, 32, 1990-2022; North Carolina, 27, 1975-2001; Duke, 24, 1996-2019). In addition, MSU’s streak is the second-longest active streak in the nation (Kansas, 32).

MSU head coach Tom Izzo is now tied with Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski for the most consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances (24) by a head coach. Krzyzewski led the Blue Devils to 24 straight NCAA Tournaments from 1996-2019.

Michigan State is making its 35th appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 69-33 (.676) in its previous 34 tournaments. MSU has made 10 trips to the Final Four (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019) and captured the NCAA Championship in 1979 and 2000. MSU’s .676 winning percentage is the eighth-best all-time in NCAA Tournament play, while the program’s 69 total victories rank sixth all-time. Michigan State’s 10 Final Four appearances are tied for sixth most.

This will be the first-ever matchup between Davidson and MSU. The Spartans struggled in the final weeks of the season, ending with a 6-9 record in their last 15 Big Ten games following a 5-0 start in league play. This isn’t one of Izzo’s best teams. A lengthy stay in the NCAA tournament would be a surprise with this group.

Game Trends

• Wildcats are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 neutral site games.
• Wildcats are 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games as an underdog.
• Wildcats are 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games overall.
• Spartans are 4-0 ATS in their last 4 neutral site games.
• Spartans are 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 neutral site games as a favorite.
• Spartans are 2-6 ATS in their last 8 NCAA Tournament games as a favorite.

Expert Prediction

• Michigan State 72, Davidson 6

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