Texas vs Michigan State | Predictions

NCAA Basketball Free Pick – Wednesday, December 22, 2010

vs.

(22) Texas (9-2) at (12) Michigan State (8-3)
Wednesday, December 22, 7:00PM EST on ESPN 2

Spread: Michigan State -6
Over/Under: 141

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The Longhorns will roll into the Breslin Center on Wednesday night looking to pick a fight with the Michigan State Spartans who will play its final out of conference contest before opening Big Ten play against Minnesota on Dec. 31.

Texas has proven to be one of the best teams in the country and is coming into the Wednesday’s contest riding a three-game winning streak, having nipped North Carolina 78-76 on Saturday on Cory Joseph’s 14-foot jumper with a little over one second remaining.

Joseph netted a season-high 21 points while Jordan Hamilton’s 17 second half points lifted the Spartans to within striking distance late in the game. Hamilton the Spartans leading scorer with 19.4 PPG, posted a team-high 24 points, while Joseph’s numbers have improved over the last five games, as freshman is averaging 16.6 points on 51.7 percent from the field.

As for the Spartans, they have had some trouble facing ranked teams this season losing 84-79 to No. 1 Duke and 72-58 to then-eighth-ranked Syracuse, after defeating then-No. 13 Washington back on Nov. 24. The Longhorns are the fifth ranked team MSU will face this season.

Coach Tom Izzo will return from a one-game suspension, sitting out his team’s last outing against Prairie View A&M on Saturday. Leading scorer Durrell Summers netted a season-high 25 points and Kalin Lucas had 10 points, eight assists, and three steals as MSU made quick work of the Panthers, cruising to a 90-51 win.

The win makes it two in a row for Michigan State who pulled off a one-point victory over Oakland, just one week before.

Now the Spartans will put their 52-game non-conference home winning streak on the line with a chance to improve upon their 1-2 record against nationally ranked teams.

The Longhorns are no slouch however, but like Michigan State, has played a challenging non-conference schedule, beating then-No.13 Illinois 90-84 in overtime, followed up by a 68-66 loss to then-No.5 Pittsburgh the next day.

One concern for Izzo’s squad will be the health of Korie Lucious who is suffering through an aggravated right ankle injury, and fellow guard Keith Appling who hit his head in the first half against PAM on Saturday.

The two teams will meet for sixth time, with the series tied at three. Last year, the Longhorns won 79-68 as the Spartans committed 22 turnovers.

The teams are evenly matched with MSU having a slight edge in a steals, assists and in three-point shooting–41 to 34 percent. The Longhorns outperform the Spartans in blocked shots.

Both teams take good care of their defensive ends of the floor, surrendering less than 66 points per game, and because of that, I expect a low scoring game with Texas covering and then some.

The odds makers have the Michigan State Spartans as a -6 point favorite with an over/under of 141.

Free Pick: Texas 68, Michigan State 65

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