1/21 04:00 PM CBB (731) PENN STATE at (732) MICHIGAN STATE
FREE PICK: (732) MICHIGAN STATE -12
I actually thought this number would come a shade higher, figuring the Spartans to perhaps be -14. So I’ll expect the bulk of the tickets to be written on Michigan State tonight. Nevertheless, I suspect Sparty could win this one by a bunch.
Optimism at State College for this to finally be the breakthrough season for Penn State hoops has dissipated. The Nittany Lions have now lost five in a row. The Lions are playing hard but they’re just a limited entry. At some point, I can see the team getting discouraged and I would not be at surprised if tonight’s the night.
Michigan State is in go with mode here. Simply stated, this is one of those teams that it’s not really wise to play against when they’re coming off a loss. In spite of frequently heavy imposts because that trend is not exactly a secret, the Spartans continue to pay off their investors on a regular basis in this scenario.
Penn State’s defense since conference play got underway has been awful. This might not be Tom Izzo’s most talented team, but as usual, Michigan State is very efficient offensively, and I’ll be shocked if they don’t at least get ample good scoring chances this evening. If you want to isolate one comparative stat, try assists to field goals. Michigan State is the best in the Big 10 in that department. Penn State, on the other hand, is dead last.
So steep price or not, this is a game that at least on paper, should be fairly easy for the favorite. That’s not always a good thing as far as laying substantial lumber is concerned, as the chalk can get complacent. But that’s not a frequent occurrence for the Spartans coming off a loss. I’ll side with the bully here and will choose Michigan State.