LEFT: Teddy Allen #0 of the Nebraska Cornhuskers fouls D'Mitrik Trice #0 of the Wisconsin Badgers. RIGHT: Aaron Henry #0 of the Michigan State Spartans in action against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. (Stacy Revere/Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
It feels so weird to say it. It feels bizarre to think that it could actually happen.
An NCAA Tournament without Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans? Could it really happen? It hasn’t since 1997 – a stretch of 22 years (not counting the cancelled NCAA tournament) – since Sparty has watched the tournament from home. Only Kansas (30) and Duke (24) have longer streaks currently of making March Madness.
Still, there is time for Michigan State to right the ship. But it must start on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ET, BTN) at the Breslin Center when the last place team in the Big Ten- Nebraska- visits East Lansing to face the 8-7 Spartans.
And that game could win you $1,000 when you play the FOX Super 6 on Saturday’s game. Just download the Super 6 app on your smart phone or tablet, predict the right answers to the six questions on this game and you could win $1,000. It’s that simple and best of all, it’s free.
Here’s the questions and how to look at it.
Which team will score the last point of the first half?
Nebraska/Michigan State
This is the second meeting of the year between the two teams, with Michigan State winning an 84-77 game at Lincoln on Jan. 2. In that game, the last points of the first half came on a Trey McGowins free throw for Nebraska with three seconds to play. Just something to keep in mind.
How many total 3 pointers will be made by both teams?
0-12, 13-14, 15-16, 17-18, 19-20 and 21+
Nebraska loves to throw the 3-pointer up, connecting on 8.7 per game while allowing 8.8 to their opposition through 12 games. Michigan State is not as prolific, connecting on 7.6 per game. The good news? They are better against the 3-pointer than most teams- allowing only 6.7 3’s per game by their opponent.
How many points will the top scorer for Nebraska have?
0-14, 15-17, 18-20, 21-23, 24-26 and 27+
Teddy Allen is the leading scorer for the Cornhuskers, averaging 18.4 points per game before the shutout of the program on January 10. Two others- Dalano Banton and McGowans, are averaging 11.3 points a game.
How many points will the top scorer for Michigan State?
0-14, 15-17, 18-20, 21-23, 24-26 and 27+
Aaron Henry averages 13.9 points per game after Tuesday night’s loss to Iowa to lead the Spartans in scoring. Joey Hauser is the only other Michigan State player in double figures with 11.2.
How many total points will be scored in the game?
Less than 125, 125-135, 136-140, 141-145, 146-150 and 151+
Michigan State’s a team that defines middle of the road- they average 72.6 points per game scored and are giving up 72.4 right now. Nebraska’s 3-point edge gives them a slight bump, but the average is in the same ballpark- 75.0 points scored, 73.4 points against.
Who wins: Nebraska or Michigan State
Let’s be blunt here: if Michigan State loses this game, the NCAA dreams of an at-large berth are all but eliminated. The resume couldn’t sustain a loss to a winless in conference Nebraska team. This is a game you expect Izzo to get his team together to win. It also is expected that Nebraska- who had five games called due to a COVID-19 breakout – to be rusty after not playing since Jan. 10. All signs point towards Sparty.
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