Memphis Tigers vs. Michigan State Spartans Pick

March Madness Picks

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The Memphis Tigers were able to get over their first game problems in the NCAA Tournament with a win over the St. Mary’s Gaels, but now they’ll go up against Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans. No coach in recent memory has taken his team to more Final Fours than Tom Izzo. Can Josh Pastner’s talented Tigers turn up the heat on the Tigers or will Michigan State move on to the Sweet 16?

Game Overview:

Memphis coasted through the Conference USA regular season and tournament without a loss. The Tigers are clearly a very good basketball team, but they play against some terrible competition all season. Memphis is definitely capable of winning this game, but they’ll have to raise their level of play. In their first game, Memphis did a great job defensively on St. Mary’s stay Matthew Dellavadova. Joe Jackson came up with some big shots on the offensive end, and he did a great job as the floor general. When Jackson plays well, the Tigers are a much more difficult team to beat.

Memphis’s win over St. Mary’s on Thursday was their single best win so far this year. The Tigers came up short earlier this year in matchups with VCU, Minnesota, and Louisville. Memphis has four players who average double figures in scoring, but Jackson is the guy that makes this team go. Tarik Black is an excellent shot blocker, and he totally changed the game with his defense against St. Mary’s. He’ll have to stay out of foul trouble in this one.

Michigan State does the same thing every single year. The Spartans look questionable at the beginning of the season, but they come on strong when it comes time for the NCAA Tournament. Tom Izzo is undeniably one of the nation’s best coaches. Freshman Gary Harris has really burst onto the scene and helped this team improve a lot throughout the season. Harris is a 41% three-point shooter, and he is averaging 12.8 points per game. Keith Appling leads the team in scoring with 13.6 points per game. The Spartans have had some trouble at times this year with turnovers, and they’ll have to take care of the basketball in this one.

The true strength of this Michigan State team is their power in the frontcourt. Adriean Payne and Derrick Nix are two of the strongest big men in the country. Nix has improved his low post moves a ton since last year, and Payne is an extremely versatile big man. Payne shoots 44% from beyond the arc, and he leads the team in rebounding. Every year Michigan State dominates the glass, and this year’s Spartans team is terrific on the boards again. Defensively, Michigan State allows just 59.1 points per game.

Free Pick: Michigan State -5.5

Michigan State plays in the best conference in the nation and Memphis plays almost no one throughout the season. That should make a big difference here. Look for the Spartans to move on.

Michigan State 72 Memphis 64