UCLA vs Michigan State | Prediction & Pick

Spartans and Bruins look to salvage squandered season

Two storied college basketball programs meet in a second round Southeast Region game in Tampa on Thursday as the 7th seeded UCLA Bruins play the 10th seeded Michigan State Spartans.

vs.

#7 UCLA (22-10, 13-5 Pac-10) vs. #10 Michigan State (19-14, 9-9 Big Ten)

Date/Time: Thursday, March 17, 9:20 PM ET
Venue: St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, FL.
Broadcast: TBS

Money Line: UCLA +120, Michigan State -140
Spread: Michigan State -2
Over/Under: 127

Despite having combined for 67 NCAA Tournament appearances and 13 national championships, this will be the first ever meeting in March Madness between the Bruins and the Spartans. UCLA is back in the big dance after a one-year absence, and is looking to qualify for another Final Four appearance.

Click Here for more FREE EXPERT NCAA Basketball Picks

UCLA coach Ben Howland guided the Bruins to three consecutive trips to the Final Four from 2006 through 2008. UCLA has won the most national titles of any program in the sport, with all but one of those coming under the direction of John Wooden. The passing of the ‘Wizard of Westwood’ last summer makes this tournament appearance particularly poignant and fans clearly feel that it is their birth right to make the Final Four every season because of the sustained excellence Wooden built.

Many UCLA fans feel this year’s squad has underachieved. Yet, even though they didn’t win the regular season Pac-10 title and were bounced out of the conference tournament by Oregon, the Bruins did have a solid season. They defeated BYU and Arizona, while losing three close games to Villanova, VCU, Kansas, and Washington twice – all of whom are in the tournament field.

Fans in East Lansing also feel like their team didn’t live up to lofty expectations that come from being a top team the last decade-plus in the Big Ten. The Spartans did qualify for the tournament for the 14th consecutive seasons, and have been in the tournament 19 times since 1990. Tom Izzo has won a national championship with Michigan State, and is hoping to reach a third consecutive Final Four.

But the Spartans struggled with league play in the Big Ten, and many felt that their two conference tournament victories helped them gain an at-large bid this season.

Both teams use balanced scoring. The Spartans are led by Kalin Lucas, averaging 17.2 points per game. The Bruins have four players averaging double figures, with Reeves Nelson leading the charge at 13.9 points per game.

The odds makers have the Michigan State as a -2 point favorite with an over/under of 127.

Check out the latest College Basketball Odds here.

Prediction: This game will come down to execution in crunch time, as it figures to be a tight affair. We’ll lean towards Michigan State and their veteran leadership.

Need more help making your picks winners? Check out our top  handicappers.

Bet the UCLA/Michigan State basketball game at an online sportsbook that gives you a 50% sign up bonus up to $500 from the website “Where the Line Originates” – Bookmaker.

UCLA Bruins Betting Trends:

• UCLA is 13-4 SU in its last 17 games
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of UCLA’s last 5 games