Frank LorenzoMichigan State is a 2 point favorite for their Sweet Sixteen matchup against Virginia this Friday, when the No. 4 seed in East, Spartans, take on the No. 1 seed Cavaliers, at 9:57 PM ET at the Madison Square Garden.
This is the only game of the eight games where the higher seed is the favorite in the March Madness odds.
“I do think we have taken giant steps in the last 2 1/2 weeks,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “We got our guys back. … I thought the Big Ten tournament we did play awfully well. I thought we played well in Spokane. Are we back to the team we were then? Probably not, but are we as close as we have been all year? Definitely.”
The Cavaliers won the ACC title, and they should feel disrespected. They lost only six games in the season and have won 18 of the last 19 outings.
“I know which Michigan State team we’re going to play and that’s the important thing,” Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett said. “How they played in the Big Ten tournament, I don’t want to say they breezed through it, but they were at times really dominant and certainly in the NCAA tournament. That’s who they are.”
The Cavaliers are 11-1-2 ATS in their last 14 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600, and the Spartans are 6-2-3 ATS in their last 11 neutral site games as a favorite.
