Updated Michigan State vs. Davidson Odds, Spread, Pick & Predictions for 2022 NCAA Tournament

by BettingPros Staff |
Mar 13, 2022

Michigan State Spartans vs. Davidson Wildcats 2022 NCAA Tournament Game Preview

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Michigan State Spartans vs. Davidson Wildcats Match Up Overview

	Davidson	Michigan State
Conference	Atlantic 10	Big Ten
W-L	27-5	22-12
AdjEM	35th	40th
AdjO	10th	38th
AdjD	164th	53rd
Tempo	311st	141st
eFG%	11th	89th
TO%	16th	234th
OR%	297th	91st
FTR	97th	172nd
DeFG%	152nd	62nd
DTO%	267th	329th
DR%	11th	119th
DFTR	107th	124th
Luck	149th	73rd

Stats via KenPom.

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Michigan State Spartans Preview

If we are talking trust rankings, Michigan State is probably dead last. Tom Izzo's Spartans started the year off incredibly hot, going 14-2. Since then, they have really fallen off a cliff. This team finished the regular season going 3-7. They've lost to Northwestern and Penn State, and have struggled against the likes of Minnesota and Maryland.

Izzo is an incredible coach, and Michigan State performed well in the Big Ten tournament, so there is some hope for this squad. The Spartans have faced a tough schedule, and if anyone can lead an inconsistent team to the promised land it's Izzo.

The issue with Sparty is that they don't exactly have a go-to guy. A.J. Hoggard might be their most talented player, but he doesn't even play half the minutes. Tyson Walker and Malik Hall are talented, but nothing any top-25 defense can't stop.

Davidson Wildcats Preview

Back in 2008, a young Stephen Curry led Davidson to the Elite Eight, making it rain from deep with 44% three-point shooting. This season, the Davidson team is led by Foster Loyer, a 45% shooter from deep; Michael Jones, a 43.7% sharpshooter; and Hyungjung Lee, a dynamic scorer who scores from everywhere.

This exciting offense has put opposing defenses on skates, taking down Alabama and VCU away from home. They slow down the pace, take care of the ball, and find open looks on essentially every possession, making it difficult to game plan against these Wildcats.

While their offense is electric, Davidson has to play better defense if they expect to make a tournament run. They've gotten into foul trouble at times, and their lack of depth has led to some scares and tough losses. I want to see Davidson in the tournament for as long as possible. They seem to be hitting their peak based on their A10 Confererence tournament performance, so if youâ€™re looking for a Cinderella, feel free to root for history to repeat itself with Davidson making it potentially to the second weekend and beyond.

Rapid Prediction for Michigan State Spartans vs. Davidson Wildcats

No. 7 Michigan St. vs. No. 10 Davidson The Spartansâ€™ run in the Big Ten tournament, including a good showing against Purdue, helped them into the dance. MSU is not going to get a ton of shots off against you, but theyâ€™re good at finding high-quality shots as they finished with a 52% effective field goal rate and over 38% from deep. Weâ€™re nearly 15 years removed from Davidsonâ€™s fantastic run to elite eight with a certain guy named Steph Curry, I wonder what happened to him? The Wildcats are making their first NCAA appearance since 2018 but do not sleep on this team. They present a veteran squad who all can shoot from outside, with three of their five starters shooting over 40% from three. This could easily be one of the first-round upsets if Davidson shoots well, and as the early odds have this game as a pick emâ€™, the total is the way to go. With both teamsâ€™ effective shooting, take the over.

Michigan State Spartans vs. Davidson Wildcats Round 1 Game Pick

Over 140.5

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