The No.7-seeded Michigan State Spartans take on the No.2-seeded Virginia Cavaliers in the third round of the NCAA tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. The game starts at 12:10 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 22.
The Cavaliers beat Belmont 79-67 in the second round. Malcolm Brogdon was the game’s high scorer, finishing with 25. The Spartans, meanwhile, are coming off a 70-63 win over Georgia in the second round. Travis Trice led the team in scoring with 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting.
The Cavaliers should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank 18th in the nation at avoiding errors (TO% of 15.9%). Meanwhile, Michigan State forces the 50th-fewest turnovers in the nation (31.3%). Also, the sweet-shooting offense of the Spartans ranks 34th in eFG% at 53.8%, while the Cavaliers are third-best in the nation at forcing opponents’ misses (41.8%).
Virginia is a five-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 116 points. The Cavaliers look to build on their records of 30-3 Straight Up (SU) and 16-14-1 Against The Spread (ATS). The Cavaliers, sporting the 18th-best assist-to-turnover ratio in Division I (1.38), have proven themselves to be an extremely efficient offensive team.
On the other side, the Spartans head into the game with records of 19-16 ATS and 24-11 SU. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Spartans. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the country at 1.45.
This is the first meeting of the season for Virginia and Michigan State. The last time they played Michigan State came out on top, bringing its SU record to 2-0. At 1-1, they are even bets ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – MSU, ATS Winner – MSU, O/U – Over
Notes
The Michigan State Spartans rank 36th for their offensive rating of 110.7. The Virginia Cavaliers have a defensive rating of 162.1 (ranked 55th).
The Virginia Cavaliers average a field goal percentage of 46.3% this season. The Michigan State Spartans have an abysmal record of 1-6 when opponents have a FG% of 46.3% or greater.
The Virginia Cavaliers average 14.3 three point attempts per game, and the Michigan State Spartans attempt 19.6 per game. When going for at least 20 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Virginia is 5-1 and Michigan State is 10-6.
The Michigan State Spartans are among the best in the nation with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.45 (ranked 10th). Ranking 18th, the Virginia Cavaliers have an A/TO of 1.38.
Virginia ranks 74th in rebounds per game with 36.4 and Michigan State ranks 33rd with 37.8 rebounds per game.
Virginia ranks 27th in defensive rebounding. When it comes to offensive rebounds, Michigan State ranks 100th.
Opponents have had an average turnover percentage of 31.3% when playing Michigan State this season. Virginia is undefeated this season (1-0) when its TO% is 31.3% or higher.
