Ole Miss (6) vs. Michigan State (2) Bracket Prediction: March Madness Sweet 16 Odds
The Ole Miss Rebels impressed in a 91-78 win over No. 3 Iowa State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Rebels are now moving on to the Sweet 16 for just the second time in school history and first since 2001. The Michigan State Spartans are perennial fixtures in the Sweet 16 as they get set to make their 22nd appearance in the third round following a 71-63 win over No. 10 New Mexico.
Michigan State is a 3.5-point favourite to win on the NCAAB odds, with the total set at 143.5.
Ole Miss vs. Michigan State NCAA Tournament Point Spread and Betting
The winner of this game will face either No. 1 Auburn or No. 5 Michigan in the Elite Eight for the South Region final. It would be the first ever Elite Eight appearance for the Rebels and the 14th for the Spartans. Michigan State is aiming for their third national championship in school history and their first since 2000.
The NCAAB futures board has the Spartans at a respectable +2000 to win the tournament. It’s a different story for Ole Miss, who have the second-longest tournament odds of all Sweet 16 teams at +8000. Only 10-seed Arkansas has longer tournament odds than the Rebels at +10,000.
Ole Miss Rebels (6)
Sean Pedulla starred for Ole Miss on Sunday, finishing with a team-high 20 points and eight rebounds. Jaemyn Brakefield added 19 points, while Malik Dia had 18 points and eight boards. The Rebels continued the SEC domination of this year’s Big Dance, with seven teams from the conference reaching the Sweet 16. It shouldn’t be a surprise as the SEC sent a record 14 teams to the tournament.
Ole Miss easily covered as 5.5-point underdogs against Iowa State. Maybe that shouldn’t be overly surprising, considering the Rebels are 7-1 against the spread in neutral site games this season. Their effective use of the transfer portal has been on full display as Pedulla and Dia are two of six transfers this season.
Michigan State Spartans (2)
Jaden Atkins led the way for Michigan State against New Mexico, dropping a game-high 16 points, including a dagger 3-pointer that put the Spartans ahead for good. Tre Holloman chipped in 14 points and Frankie Fidler had 10. Michigan State covered as 6.5-point underdogs, adding to their impressive record of 24-10-1 ATS this season.
The number 16 is magic for Spartans head coach Tom Izzo as he is leading Michigan State to the Sweet 16 for the 16th time in his career. Izzo’s 58 NCAA Tournament coaching wins are tied for fourth all-time, matching John Calipari, who is also in the Sweet 16 with Arkansas, and the retired Jim Boeheim of Syracuse. This is Izzo’s 27th time leading Michigan State to the Big Dance.