The No. 4 Kentucky Wildcats (2-0) and the No. 25 Michigan State Spartans (1-1) meet Monday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (ESPN). Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook’s lines around the Kentucky vs. Michigan State odds, and make our expert college basketball picks, predictions and bets.
Rankings courtesy of the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll.
The Wildcats have victories over Howard (95-63 Nov. 7) and Duquesne (77-52 Friday) — not exactly a gauntlet to start the year. They covered the spread in each outing.
The big news for Kentucky is that G Oscar Tshiebwe (knee) is listed as questionable for this showdown.
Michigan State picked up a 73-55 win against Northern Arizona in its opener Nov. 7. Sparty then met Gonzaga on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincon in the 2022 Armed Forces Classic, falling 64-63 but covering as 12-point underdogs.
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Kentucky vs. Michigan State odds
Provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:06 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline (ML): Off the board
- Against the spread (ATS): Kentucky -6.5 (-115) | Michigan State +6.5 (-105)
- Over/Under (O/U): 141.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
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Kentucky vs. Michigan State picks and predictions
Prediction
Kentucky 72, Michigan State 68
Moneyline
The moneyline was off the board at the time of publishing.
Against the spread
MICHIGAN STATE +6.5 (-105) is a solid 6-1 ATS in its last 7 neutral-site games and is 6-2 ATS in its last 8 overall.
On the flip side, Kentucky is just 1-6 ATS in its last 7 games on a neutral floor and is just 5-18 ATS in the past 23 games following a cover.
Over/Under
UNDER 141.5 (-110) is the lean here, but play it lightly.
Kentucky cashed the Under last time out against Duquesne, while Michigan State has hit the Under in each of its 2 outings so far. The offense has been rather deliberate, and the Spartans’ defense has had it on lockdown so far. If Tshiebwe isn’t able to play, even better for the Under.
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