On Thursday, Mississippi State and Michigan State will battle in the first round of the NCAA Tournament following the First Four games. Mississippi State is the No. 8 seed, and the Michigan State Spartans are No. 9 in the West Region.
Below, we’ll examine this No. 8 versus No. 9 showdown of March Madness. The winner will play the winner of North Carolina and either Wagner or Howard.
Mississippi State and Michigan State clash in West Region battle
This season, Michigan State went 19-14 and 10-10 in conference play, while Mississippi State was 21-13 and 8-10 in the SEC. Mississippi State lost to Auburn in the semifinals of its conference tournament, while the Spartans lost 67-62 to Purdue in the quarterfinals. Below, let’s dive into this matchup more.
Spartans have four seniors who returned
Before the season began, the Spartans were a preseason top-five team but fell short of those expectations. This team has experience, with four starters who were seniors returning to play under Tom Izzo.
Four players on this team are averaging double-digit points, including Tyson Walker, who leads the team with more than 18 points per game. Overall, the Spartans are allowing 93.7 points per 100 possessions, according to the Pomeroy College Basketball ratings.
Bulldogs have superstar freshman
The Spartans’ defense will go up against an offense led by freshman Josh Hubbard, who’s averaging over 17 points per game. He’s helped by Tolu Smith, who is putting up 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
The Bulldogs get to the free throw line more than 25 times per game and play well on the perimeter defensively, holding teams to under 30% from downtown.
Mississippi State vs. Michigan State basketball odds and betting lines
Mississippi State vs. Michigan State injury report: Who’s out, who’s questionable
Below is the latest injury report on each side of this matchup.
Mississippi State Bulldogs
| Player | Injury Status |
| Andrew Taylor | Out indefinitely for personal reasons |
Michigan State Spartans
| Player | Injury Status |
| Jeremy Fears Jr. | Out for the season with a leg injury |
| Steven Izzo | Out indefinitely for undisclosed reasons |
| Gehrig Normand | Out indefinitely with a foot injury |
