The Penn State Nittany Lions (7-8, 4-7 Big Ten) visit the Michigan State Spartans (9-7, 3-7) Tuesday in the only regular-season meeting between the conference rivals. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at Jack Breslin Student Events Center in East Lansing, Mich. Below, we analyze the Penn State-Michigan State college basketball odds and lines, with picks and predictions.
Neither team is ranked in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports, though the Spartans were as high as No. 4 in early December.
Penn State at Michigan State: Odds, spread and lines
Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 9 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Penn State +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Michigan State -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
- Against the spread/ATS: Penn State +2.5 (-105) | Michigan State -2.5 (-115)
- Over/Under: 144.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Penn State at Michigan State: Three things to know
- Penn State has alternated wins and losses over its last five games, most recently beating Maryland 55-50 and covering the spread as a 3-point home favorite Friday. Junior G Izaiah Brockington had a team-high 13 points and senior F John Harrar pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds. Junior G Myreon Jones and Brockington lead the Lions with 14.7 and 14.6 points per game, respectively.
- Michigan State snapped a four-game skid with a 66-56 home victory over Nebraska Saturday. Senior G Joshua Langford led the way with a game-high 18 points, but the Spartans failed to cover as 12.5-point favorites. Junior F Aaron Henry leads Michigan State in scoring (14 PPG), assists (3.6 APG), steals (1.5 SPG) and blocks (1.4 BPG).
- MSU and PSU split their two games last season with the road team prevailing each time. The Nittany Lions won 75-70 in East Lansing as 8.5-point underdogs last February. The Spartans returned the favor with a 79-71 road victory as 2-point favorites a month later.
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Penn State at Michigan State: Odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Michigan State 69, Penn State 63
Money line (ML)
PASS. While Michigan State is 11-2 straight up in the last 13 of this series, the -155 ML price is too high for my liking in a college basketball game.
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Against the spread (ATS)
MICHIGAN STATE -2.5 (-115) is the STRONGEST PLAY – 1½ times your usual wager. This is a pure “back the home team” pick.
At 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games, the Spartans haven’t proven worthy of backing, but the Nittany Lions are 0-6 in Big Ten road games. Only one of those six defeats was by fewer than 4 points – an 87-85 overtime loss at Indiana.
Plus, if the Lions’ alternating win-loss trend continues, they’ll end the night with an L.
- Penn State’s current run: W-L-W-L-W-?
ATS: Penn State 8-7 | Michigan State 4-12
Over/Under (O/U)
Put your money on UNDER 144.5 (-110). Michigan State, which is 1-5 O/U in its last six games, averages just 64.6 PPG in Big Ten play.
Penn State, which averages 71.6 PPG in conference play, didn’t scored more than 56 points in either of its last two games.
O/U records: Penn State 7-8 | Michigan State 7-9
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