Teams looking to stay in the hunt for the Big Ten Conference regular-season championship meet when the No. 14 Wisconsin Badgers take on the No. 17 Michigan State Spartans on Tuesday night. The Badgers (18-4, 9-3), who are tied with Purdue for second-place in the conference, have played well on the road this season, going 5-2. The Spartans (17-5, 8-3), who are fourth in the standings, are 9-1 at home. Wisconsin has won two of the last three meetings with Michigan State, but the Spartans posted an 86-74 win at Madison on Jan. 21.
Tipoff from Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich., is set for 7 p.m. ET. Michigan State leads the all-time series 84-66, including a 50-15 mark in East Lansing. The Spartans are four-point favorites in the latest Wisconsin vs. Michigan State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under for total points scored is set at 139. Before making any Michigan State vs. Wisconsin picks, be sure to check out the college basketball predictions and betting advice from the SportsLine Projection Model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. Over the past five-plus years, the proprietary computer model has generated an impressive profit of over $2,300 for $100 players on its top-rated college basketball picks against the spread. Anyone who has followed it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Michigan State vs. Wisconsin, and just locked in its picks and CBB predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see the model's picks. Here are the college basketball odds and betting lines for Wisconsin vs. Michigan State:
- Wisconsin vs. Michigan State spread: Michigan State -4
- Wisconsin vs. Michigan State over-under: 139 points
- Wisconsin vs. Michigan State money line: Michigan State -180, Wisconsin +155
- WIS: The Badgers are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight road games against a team with a winning home record
- MSU: The Spartans are 4-0 ATS in their last four games following a straight-up loss
Why Michigan State can cover
Freshman guard Max Christie is off to a fast start to his career, averaging 10 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He is nearly automatic at the free-throw line, connecting on 84.4 percent of his foul shots. Christie scored 12 points and grabbed three rebounds in the first matchup against the Badgers. He has reached double-digit scoring in 10 games, including a 21-point effort in a 79-67 win over Nebraska on Jan. 5. More recently, Christie scored 16 points in the Spartans' 83-67 win over Michigan on Jan. 29.
Senior forward Marcus Bingham Jr. makes his presence felt when he is in the game. He averages 9.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks in just 19.9 minutes per game. He is connecting on 56.8 percent of his field goals, and knocking down 35.3 percent of his shots from 3-point range. Bingham scored 12 points in the loss to Rutgers, and has reached double-digit scoring in three of the past four games.
Why Wisconsin can cover
The Badgers are led by sophomore guard Johnny Davis, a national player of the year candidate. Davis leads the team in scoring average (20.6), rebounding (8.3), assists (2.5) and steals (1.3). He is connecting on 41.9 percent of his field goals and 78.2 percent of his free throws. He is second in the Big Ten in points and rebounds during conference play, averaging 20.8 points and 9.7 rebounds. Davis has scored 20 points or more in 12 of 20 games, and became the first Badger since Alando Tucker in 2007 to reach 20 or more points in six straight games.
Fifth-year senior Brad Davison averages 15 points, 4.2 rebounds and two assists per game, and is connecting on 40.2 percent of his field goals, including 36.5 percent from 3-point range, and 86.4 percent from the foul line. In eight career games against the Spartans, Davison is averaging 12.8 points, including 22 in the season's earlier meeting. He is also averaging 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals. Davison scored 30 points against Michigan State as a freshman in 2018 in a 68-63 loss.
How to make Wisconsin vs. Michigan State picks
SportsLine's model is leaning under on the total, projecting 138 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits more than 50 percent of the time. You can only get the model's picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Michigan State vs. Wisconsin? And which side of the spread hits more than 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the spread to jump on, all from the advanced model that is up over $2,300 on its top-rated college basketball picks the last five years, and find out.