Michigan State and Ole Miss Meet in Sweet 16

Cover Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images

MARCH MADNESS is here!

Do you love Michigan State University sports? Why not show that love with some new gear? Fanatics has it all, on sale! Click our link to help support us. Can’t go wrong with new gear!

MSU: https://fanatics.93n6tx.net/xL5nNA

On paper, this should be a game 2-seed Michigan State (29-6) wins comfortably. Six-seed Ole Miss (24-11) finished sixth in their conference. They have only a 5.7 point differential on the season. They average only 33.1 rebounds per game. And they give up 71.7 points per game.

Michigan State won the Big Ten Conference regular season title. They outscore opponents by an average margin of 11.2 points per game. They average 40.1 rebounds per game. And they give up only 67.0 points per game.

But this is March Madness, and the Rebels are on a mission.

“We’ve been disrespected the whole year,” said 6’4” senior guard Matthew Murrell, in the Clarion Ledger, who averages 10.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists on the season. Murrell had 15 points and four rebounds in the Ole Miss upset of 3-seed Iowa State in the Round of 32. They won 91-78. In the Round of 64, Ole Miss defeated popular pick North Carolina 71-64.

Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo isn’t taking Ole Miss lightly. On the court, immediately after the Spartans defeated 10-seed New Mexico, 71-63, Izzo said the Rebels will “come at you tooth and nail, and they’re going to be good defensively and they’re going to play hard.”

Some stats bear this out. Ole Miss forces a whopping 14.2 turnovers per game, scoring 16.1 points off those turnovers. They only give up 9.0 turnovers. Among those turnovers are 8.8 steals. Against Iowa State, Ole Miss forced 15 turnovers and had 11 steals. Against North Carolina, Ole Miss forced nine turnovers and nine steals.

Michigan State should be on high alert, practicing this week how to protect the ball. On the season, the Spartans give up 11.5 turnovers per game. If Ole Miss exploits this weakness in Michigan State’s game, they have a chance for a huge upset.

Betting odds favor Michigan State, but the margin has tightened since both teams won to make it to the Sweet 16. DraftKings, on Sunday night, had the point margin at 3.5. They now expect a closer game, moving the margin Michigan State is favored by to 2.5 points.

The game will take place in Atlanta, Georgia, Friday, 7:09 p.m., airing on CBS.

If you like what you read here, consider subscribing at a VERY low price, and you won’t miss an article! Or, you can donate in the bottom left corner, starting at as little as $.50 cents! Thank you for reading.

If you like video content, subscribe to our YouTube channel, where we host multiple shows, all about Michigan Sports!

MICHIGAN FOOTBALL NETWORK