Notre Dame vs. Michigan State Predictions, Odds

• November 28, 2020
• By Dave Schwab
• VegasInsider.com

This Saturday night’s college hoops betting action features an ACC/Big Ten matchup between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the No. 13 Michigan State Spartans at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. Game time on the Big Ten Network is 8 p.m. (ET).

BETTING RESOURCES

• Expert Picks: Vegas Insiders
• Venue: Breslin Center
• Location: East Lansing, Michigan
• Date: Saturday, November 28, 2020
• Time: 8:00 p.m.
• TV: BTN
• Bet: BetMGM | BetRivers | FanDuel | PointsBet | All

Notre Dame-Michigan State Betting Odds

Line Movements

• Spread: Michigan State -10.5
• Money-Line: Spartans -550, Irish +425
• Total: 146.5
• Implied Probability: 84.62%

Odds Subject to Change

The opening spread for this game has Michigan State favored at home by 10.5 points with the betting line for the total set at 146.5 points. The Irish have failed to cover in six of their last eight games against a team from the Big Ten.

The total has gone OVER in four of their last five Saturday games.

Last season, Notre Dame went 6-5 ATS in 11 non-conference games. Michigan State failed to cover in six of its last 11 games outside the Big Ten last season.

The Spartans are 3-7 ATS in their last 10 games closing as favorites with the total going OVER or ending as a PUSH in six of those contests.

Betting Analysis – Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2019-2020 Results - Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 19-12
• ATS: 15-14-2
• SU - Home: 15-5
• SU - Away: 4-7
• O/U: 15-16

Betting Analysis – Michigan State Spartans

2019-2020 Results - Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• SU: 22-9
• ATS: 15-16
• SU - Home: 13-4
• SU - Away: 9-5
• O/U: 14-15-2

Inside the Stats – Notre Dame Fighting Irish

2019-2020 Results - Straight Up - SU, Against the Spread - ATS, Over-Under (O/U)

• PS/G: 74.2 (98th)
• PA/G: 68.7 (161st)
• Off Rtg: 106.8 (74th)
• Def Rtg: 98.8 (164th)
• SRS: 11.21 (56th)
• SOS: 5.62 (78th)

The unranked Irish will start the season with quite a few new faces in the starting lineup. After graduating five seniors from last season’s roster, a few key underclassmen will need to step up their games.

At the top of the list is junior point guard Prentiss Hub, who started all 32 games the previous season.

He averaged 12.1 points per game with 5.1 assists. Nate Laszewski and Dane Goodman should also play a more prominent role this year. Guard Cormac Ryan is a transfer from Stanford along with guard Trey Wertz, who transferred from Santa Clara.

Along with some freshman recruits, Notre Dame is going to have to rely on many more younger players to remain competitive in the ACC this season.

Inside the Stats – Michigan State Spartans

• PS/G: 83 (70th)
• PA/G: 67 (83rd)
• Off Rtg: 115.3 (53rd)
• Def Rtg: 93.1 (85th)
• SRS: 0 (N/A)
• SOS: -16 (135th)

Michigan State started this season with a solid 83-67 victory over Eastern Michigan but it failed to cover the hefty 22-point closing spread at home. The total went OVER the 136-point total line. As the No. 13-ranked team in the AP Top 25 moving to No. 12 in the preseason Coaches Poll, the Spartans are the fourth-highest ranked team in the Big Ten.

Foster Loyer got the new season off to a fast start on Wednesday night with six three-pointers as part of his career-high 20 points. Forward Joey Hauser added 15 points and nine rebounds to the winning cause. Forward Gabe Brown scored 12 points off the bench.

The Spartans, as a team, shot a solid 54.5 percent from the field. This includes a 42.9 shooting percentage from three-point range. Michigan State outrebounded Eastern Michigan 37 to 29.

Key Players to Watch

• ND - Prentiss Hubb (-)
• ND - Dane Goodwin (-)
• MSU - Joshua Langford (10 ppg)
• MSU - Joey Hauser (15 ppg, 9 apg)

Notre Dame-Michigan State Predictions

The Irish have a tough test on their hands to kick off the new season. Notre Dame has failed to cover in two previous meetings against to Spartans dating back to the 2014/2015 season with the total going OVER the closing total line in both games.

Michigan State is deeper in talent across the starting lineup as well as the bench. While Notre Dame should be able to keep things relatively close for the first half, I have the Spartans pulling away in the second half to cover the spread.

This matchup will also feature each team’s defensive strengths to add value to the play on the UNDER against the total line.

• Score Prediction: Michigan State 67 Notre Dame 52
• Best Bet: UNDER 146.5
• Best Bet: Michigan State