March Madness: Michigan State vs. Auburn odds, picks and predictions
The No. 2 seed Michigan State Spartans (30-6) and the No. 1 seed Auburn Tigers (31-5) meet at State Farm Arena in Atlanta for an NCAA Tournament South Region Elite 8 game. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. ET (CBS). Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's lines around the Michigan State vs. Auburn odds, and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.
The Tigers, ranked No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports Men's Basketball Coaches Poll, are back in the Elite 8 for the first time since 2019 when it topped the Kentucky Wildcats 77-71 in OT to advance to the Final 4 for the first time in school history. Auburn is 1-1 SU in 2 previous trips to the Elite 8.
Auburn has set a program record with 31 victories. It went on a 34-8 run in the second half Friday to turn things around against the Michigan Wolverines in a 78-65 win as 9-point favorites as the Under (156) cashed. F Johni Broome was on fire, going for 22 points with 16 rebounds and 2 steals before fouling out.
Auburn has covered in consecutive games, but it is still just 2-5 against the spread (ATS) in the past 7 games, and 4-7 ATS in the past 11 outings. The Under is 4-1 in 5 games in the postseason.
Michigan State is ranked No. 7 in the Coaches Poll. Sparty outlasted the Ole Miss Rebels 73-70 Friday as a 3.5-point favorite as the Under (144.5) hit. G Jase Richardson paced MSU with 20 points and 6 rebounds with 4 triples.
Michigan State appeared to have a cover against Ole Miss, but the Rebels hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer for one of the worst bad beats you're ever going to see. The Under is 4-1 in the postseason for Michigan State, and 14-3 in the previous 17 outings.
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Michigan State vs. Auburn odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 6:29 a.m. ET.
Moneyline (ML) : Michigan State +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Auburn -220 (bet $220 to win $100)
: Michigan State +180 (bet $100 to win $180) | Auburn -220 (bet $220 to win $100) Against the spread (ATS) : Michigan State +4.5 (-105) | Auburn -4.5 (-115)
: Michigan State +4.5 (-105) | Auburn -4.5 (-115) Over/Under (O/U): 147.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)
Michigan State vs. Auburn picks and predictions
Prediction
Michigan State 74, Auburn 70
MICHIGAN STATE (+180) is worth a look for the opportunity to nearly double up.
Sparty heads into this one with 11 wins in the past 12 outings since Feb. 15. The lone loss was 77-74 in the Big Ten Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers on March 15.
Auburn did a good job with the comeback against Michigan, but if it falls into a deep hole against Michigan State, the top seed could be in trouble.
MICHIGAN STATE +4.5 (-105) is worth a look if you're a little on the conservative side, and you just can't bring yourself to pick the No. 2 seed straight up.
Sparty has been on fire against the number since Feb. 15, covering the final 7 games of the regular season, while going 10-2 ATS in the previous 12 outings. And that non-cover against Ole Miss was a disgusting bad beat, as Michigan State should have covered then, too.
Auburn has covered in the past 2 games of the NCAA Tournament, but it is still just 2-5 ATS in the past 7 games since March 4.
UNDER 147.5 (-110) is worth a look in this South Region final.
The Under is 4-1 in 5 postseason games for both Auburn and Michigan State. The total has gone low in 14 of the past 17 games for the Spartans, too.
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