No. 13 Michigan State Spartans at Miami Hurricanes
Wednesday, 11/28/12, 7:30 PM EST, TV: ESPN
Opening Point Spread: Miami PK
Current Betting Line: Miami -2
Opening Total: 127.5
Current Total: 127.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Michigan State makes its third road trip of November, as it gets set to take on Miami in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge inside the BankUnited Center on Wednesday night. The Spartans have won five games in a row since suffering a season-opening loss to Connecticut overseas, which includes a 63-60 win over Louisiana-Lafayette as 23-point home favorites on Sunday. “I think our guys are going to be great citizens when they get done with basketball, because the Christmas season is lasting all year,” stated Spartans coach Tom Izzo about his team’s major problem of turning the ball over. Michigan State is 11-5 ATS as an underdog over the last two-plus seasons.
The Spartans are led offensively by guard Keith Appling, who is averaging 16.8 points and was the leading returning scorer coming into the 2012-13 campaign. Michigan State has never met Miami in this event, but has gone 6-6 in its 12 opportunities in playing in the Challenge. Defensively, the team is allowing opponents to shoot 37.3 percent form the floor, which is actually lower than the 37.9 percent mark it finished with last year in ranking second nationally in that category.
Miami wraps up a three-game homestand in this affair, as it picked up a 77-62 victory over Detroit as seven-point home favorites last time out. The Hurricanes are 1-4 in this event, while ACC teams are 44-18 when playing on their home court, while the Big Ten is 35-26 in that situation. “We’re not a team that forces a lot of turnovers,” commented Hurricanes coach Jim Larranaga. Miami is 2-4 ATS as a home favorite of three points or less since 2010, which is important to consider when making your college basketball picks against the spread.
The Hurricanes are led offensively by sophomore guard Shane Larkin, who is averaging 17.3 points per game, while senior center Reggie Johnson is averaging 10.0 rebounds per game. Miami has shot better than 50 percent from the field in its three home games, which is significant due to the defensive pressure that Michigan State places on its opponent.
Sports bettors will likely play the total, as the UNDER is 16-5-1 in the Spartans last 22 road games following three or more consecutive home games.
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