Michigan St. at Navy
Time: 9 PM ET
TV: CBC
Spread: MS -17.5
Total: 131
Betting Odds courtesy of Bovada
No. 18 Michigan State lost to eventual champion UConn in the semifinals of the NCAA tournament last year, falling 60-54 in a season which saw the Spartans finish 29-9. But a 5-7 stretch during the season took away a lot of confidence. This year, the Spartans open against Navy and are 17.5-point favorites as a renewed optimism circulates the team this year.
Last year, the Spartans moved the ball very well, averaging 17.1 assists per game. Michigan State also won the Big Ten title, but losing Keith Appling and Adrien Payne will hurt some. Tom Izzo will have Travis Price to run the point, and Harris averaged 16.7 points per game last season. Lourawls Nairn is a 5’10” spark plug that will help the team immensely with his energy, coming in as a freshman this season.
6’5” freshman Javon Bess figures to be a big part of the picture, as well. Bess is capable of playing four positions and is best on the wing. He’ll be a good sixth man coming in for Branden Dawson, but could easily steal the starting position.
The Spartans are going to encounter their biggest problems offensively this season, and though this team is weaker than last year’s squad, no Izzo team will be bad, and it will be a force to be reckoned with, both in March, and to Navy tonight.
Navy was 9-21 last season and has a tough non-conference schedule this year, also facing Notre Dame on Dec. 3. Brandon Venturini averaged 11.5 points per game and looked great down the stretch of the season. Still, the Midshipmen shot just 40.1 percent from the floor and averaged only 60.7 points per game. It’s hard to imagine the team being able to run with the talent a team like Michigan State has, which is why the Midshipmen are such heavy underdogs in college basketball odds.
