The Michigan State Spartans welcome in the Penn State Nittany Lions tonight in Big Ten College Basketball action. The game is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. start time and the College Basketball Odds for the game have the Spartans favored by double digits to take care of Penn State.

Michigan State isn't having the type of season they are accustomed to, but that doesn't mean the Spartans can't have success. Tom Izzo's team is just 3-2 in the Big Ten play but tonight they welcome in a rusty Penn State team that can't find a way to get into the win column during conference action. 

The Spartans are going to be just fine. They've been beat up by Maryland twice, but did won comfortably in two of their other three conference wins. Michigan State will be there at the end, though, as the next 10 games (tonight included) are winnable. Even if Michigan State stumbles in one of those contests, they are still going to be just fine in the conference race.

Denzel Valentine and Travis Trice both average near 14 points a game and lead the Spartans on the floor. Along with fellow veteran Branden Dawson, Michigan State has a trio of players that can hit the big shot, run the floor and defend. Dawson might be the best defender in the conference and will cause problems for Penn State tonight.

The Nittany Lions come in averaging 70.4 points per game and they are not a "great" rebounding team, which could hurt them tonight against Michigan State. Izzo teams are always great at rebounding the basketball and holding opponents from getting second-chance opportunities. D.J. Newbill leads the conference in scoring, pouring in an average of 21.7 points per game, but he's going to have to have a big game tonight in order to get the job done for Penn State.

The spread is a bit strange, though, as only Wisconsin has beaten Penn State by at least a dozen in conference play. This game could be closer than many expect and even though MSU will look to shut down Newbill, Penn State will hang around.

Free Pick: Michigan State 70, Penn State 61

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