Michigan State vs. Michigan basketball predictions & picks: Saturday, 2/18

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Michigan’s NCAA Tournament hopes have likely gone down the drain, as they blew a late lead at home against Indiana and followed it up by losing at Wisconsin. Wisconsin failed to make a field goal in the final 10:45 of the game and yet still was able to hold off the Wolverines.

That being said, they’ll still be highly motivated for this matchup against in-state rival Michigan State. Our experts’ Michigan State vs. Michigan basketball predictions has the best bet in the article below. We’ll also explain how you can get five Second Chance Bets worth up to $250 as part of the current PointsBet promo.

These rivals met back in January in East Lansing with Michigan State winning an ugly game. The Spartans won the game by six points, despite scoring just 0.88 points per possession. A big reason they were able to still win is due to Michigan making just three of their 20 three-point attempts. In general, both teams will likely need to play much better than they did in the first game to win in the rematch.

Our experts see a few matchup edges for the Wolverines that could play out in the rematch. Their Michigan State vs. Michigan basketball predictions has Michigan -2 as their best bet.

Our experts think Michigan returns the favor in this rematch of in-state rivals. The Wolverines shot so poorly from beyond the arc in the first game that it would have been nearly impossible to win that game.

From a matchup perspective, Michigan should have an edge on offense with their pick-and-roll attack. Per Synergy, Michigan runs pick-and-roll at the 26th-highest rate in the country. Michigan State has been excellent on defense this season, ranking 17th in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency, but they’ve struggled in pick-and-roll coverage. According to Synergy, the Spartans grade in just the 38th percentile in ball-screen defense this season.

On the other end, Michigan State’s offense ranks just 79th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency. The primary reason for this is their shot selection. Per BartTorvik, the Spartans rank eighth in the country in Farther Two rate. Farther Two’s, or mid-range jumpers, are the least efficient shot in basketball. Michigan’s defense at the rim is not great, but they shouldn’t need to be with the shots taken by Michigan State.

Our experts’ Michigan State vs. Michigan basketball predictions see Michigan getting the win at home over their rival. Click here to join PointsBet Sportsbook to bet with them today.

Our experts are backing the Wolverines in their Michigan State vs. Michigan basketball predictions on Saturday. If you want to follow that pick, be sure to join PointsBet Sportsbook using this link. By signing up, you will receive five Second Chance Bets worth up to $250.

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PointsBet currently has Michigan as a -2 favorite in their matchup with Michigan State, which means the Spartans are the +2 underdog. Both sides have odds of -110, which means an $11 bet on Michigan profits $10 if the Wolverines win by 3 points or more, while the same $11 bet on Michigan State also wins $10 if the Spartans lose by one point or win the game outright.

If the total of this matchup is your preferred market instead, PointsBet has the total set at 134.5 with -110 odds on each side.

Our experts’ Michigan State vs. Michigan basketball predictions has Michigan -2 as their best bet. Start betting at PointsBet by clicking here to claim your five Second Chance Bets worth up to $250.

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