2011 March Madness betting players had high hopes for Michigan State coming into the season, but the Spartans have fallen well below their usual standards and many felt the Spartans shouldn’t have even been a No.10 seed. But that’s where Michigan State will find themselves when they to Tampa to face UCLA in the Southeast region on Thursday night.
Michigan State UCLA Betting – Thursday, 9:20 PM ET
The No.10 Spartans (19-14, 9-9 Big Ten) struggled through a brutal non-conference schedule, guard Kalin Lucas wasn’t healthy for the first part of the season, and then they had to suspend another guard, Korie Lucious, so it wasn’t a banner year in East Lansing. In fact, their best win prior to their dismantling of Purdue in the Big Ten tournament was an overtime victory over Wisconsin back on January 11th, but a lot of people still aren’t sold on Michigan State. But online horse betting players will tell you that it’s not how you start, but how you finish, and the Spartans have a team filled with players who are used to this time of year.
The No.7 Bruins (22-10, 13-5 Pac-10) picked it up after four straight losses back in November and December, and stayed pretty solid down the stretch, punctuated by a 22-point throttling of Arizona. UCLA fell to Oregon in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament, and they’re similar to Michigan State in that they don’t run up and down the court, preferring a deliberate halfcourt set, they’re strong on the glass and they’re also seventh in the country in blocked shots. Tyler Honeycutt and Joshua Smith are a very underrated duo in the post, and their size gives them a chance against the Spartans.
You would have gotten a high price per head at the beginning of the season for betting on Michigan State coming into the Tournament as a No.10 seed, but 2011 March Madness betting odds still have some faith in the Spartans, who are 2-point favorites in Tampa against the Bruins. UCLA is 2-1 SU and 3-0 ATS in their three meetings with Michigan State since 2003, with the home team winning each time, but we’re going with the Spartans on a neutral court because of their experience. The Spartans didn’t perform to the best of their ability this season, but they’ve got Lucas and Durrell Summers, two seniors who won’t want to end their careers yet, while Draymond Green and Delvon Roe are also experienced in the rigors of the Tournament. Also, with no disrespect to UCLA’s Ben Howland, we can’t bet against Michigan State’s Tom Izzo in the first round of March Madness, even with the season they’ve had. Place a sports bet on the Spartans to cover.
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