Buffalo Michigan State prediction, odds
The Buffalo Bulls take on the Michigan State Spartans. Check out our college basketball odds series for our Buffalo Michigan State prediction and pick.
Michigan State has to get a lot better in 2023, but before the Spartans think about improving in the new calendar year, they have one more game to play in 2022. Michigan State started the season with a win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic. We have seen in subsequent weeks that a win over Kentucky is not nearly as impressive, important or valuable as many people expected it to be. The significance of that Kentucky win has dramatically decreased over the past few weeks, as Kentucky has continued to lose and, in some cases, get thumped. Michigan State’s win over Villanova also doesn’t look as good as many people thought it would. The Spartans’ 8-4 record is, given the quality of the opposition, relatively unimpressive. Tom Izzo has a lot of work to do with his team, which lost at home to Northwestern and got smoked by Notre Dame. This team has to improve quickly, and this Buffalo game is a final tune-up before Big Ten play gets going.
Courtesy of FanDuelhere are the Buffalo-Michigan StateCollege Basketball odds.
College Basketball Odds: Buffalo-Michigan State Odds
Buffalo Bulls: +15.5 (-115)
Michigan State Spartans: -15.5 (-105)
Over: 149.5 (-114)
Under: 149.5 (-106)
Why Buffalo Could Cover the Spread
The Michigan State Spartans are a team in search of an identity this season. They seemed to be a really good team in the early weeks of the season, but as we noted above, the wins over high-profile programs simply haven’t had the cachet or staying power many analysts predicted. When Michigan State got blown out by Notre Dame a few weeks ago, it seemed like the product of having to play a lot of basketball, which Michigan State did when it went to Portland for the Phil Knight Legacy event. Michigan State was playing a road game at Notre Dame just a few days after the long week in Oregon on the West Coast. It was easy to think Michigan State was simply a tired team which needed a break and frankly overscheduled. However, when Michigan State lost at home to Northwestern, that was an indicator that MSU wasn’t merely tired. The Spartans simply lacked ingredients of a good and consistent team. We have seen Tom Izzo’s teams struggle for months before finding themselves later in the season, but this Michigan State team has not found itself yet. Buffalo can take advantage.
Why Michigan State Could Cover the Spread
Buffalo is a mediocre team. At 6-6, the Bulls have lost a lot of games and have looked bad in a number of contests so far this season. Losing by 25 points to Tulane and losing outright to Howard University are two of the more noticeable stumbles by this team. Buffalo just does not have the upside or the depth to compete with Michigan State in the Breslin Center, even though Michigan State has hardly ripened into a better and more complete team as the season has moved along. Buffalo is not the kind of team which is likely to go into East Lansing and put a scare into Michigan State. The Spartans will be motivated to clean things up and put forth a strong effort before the Big Ten Conference season kicks into high gear.
Final Buffalo-Michigan State Prediction & Pick
Michigan State’s defense will smother Buffalo. This is a mismatch, and the score should reflect it.
Final Buffalo-Michigan State Prediction & Pick: Michigan State -15.5