Niagara vs. Michigan State prediction, odds, pick for College Basketball

It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Niagara-Michigan State prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Niagara-Michigan State.

The Michigan State Spartans know that with Zach Edey no longer at Purdue, the Big Ten basketball landscape is a lot more wide open than it has been the previous few seasons. Purdue with Edey has been a colossus in the Big Ten. The Boilermakers snapped a 44-year Final Four drought last season and made the national championship game of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1969. Now that Edey is in the NBA, however, Purdue is not expected to lord itself over the rest of the Big Ten the way it did in the previous few seasons. The Boilermakers should still be very good, but they no longer have the unguardable big man who gives them an enormous advantage every night. Michigan State is one of several Big Ten teams with realistic Big Ten championship aspirations. Tom Izzo will want to take advantage of this post-Edey world in Big Ten hoops.

Michigan State looked solid in its first game of the season earlier this week, a comfortable and routine 24-point win over Monmouth. While Monmouth might not be especially strong, it is still worth noting that Michigan State stumbled early in its 2023-2024 season against James Madison. There was no first-game stumble this season for the Spartans, which already marks a measure of progress.

Niagara won its first game of the new season by 35 points over a non-Division I opponent. The Purple Eagles played a very soft cupcake game, which is usually an indication that the coaching staff is not sure about the composition of the roster. We will see just how much that first game prepared Niagara for this much tougher test against one of the bigger brand names in the Big Ten.

Here are the Niagara-Michigan State College Basketball Odds, courtesy of FanDuel 

College Basketball Odds: Niagara-Michigan State Odds

Niagara: +28.5 (-110)

Moneyline: +4000

Michigan State: -28.5 (-110)

Moneyline: -50000

Over: 140.5 (-110)

Under: 140.5 (-110)

How to Watch Niagara vs Michigan State

Time: 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT

TV: Big Ten Network

Stream: fuboTV (Free Trial)

Why Niagara Will Cover The Spread/Win

The spread is massive at nearly 30 points. Niagara might not be a tremendous team, but for an early-season game, in which teams are trying to get settled into the rhythm of playing every few days, 28.5 points is still a ton. Michigan State beat Monmouth by 24 in its opener. No one questions that Michigan State will win this game with a measure of comfort, but winning by at least 29 will still be hard work for the Spartans. We don’t know how good Niagara is, but being able to win a first game — even against a cupcake opponent — by 35 points suggests that the Purple Eagles aren’t terrible. It will probably take a terrible Niagara performance for MSU to cover, and we’re not sure that’s going to happen.

Why Michigan State Will Cover The Spread/Win

The Spartans easily handled Monmouth. If one makes the reasonable assumption that the first game of the season involves a lot of rust and uncertainty, and that the second game should be cleaner and even more fluid, it becomes logical to think Michigan State can beat Niagara by an even larger amount of points than it won against Monmouth (24). Michigan State needs to increase its margin of victory by five points. That’s not a whole lot. That is more than doable for Tom Izzo’s team.

Final Niagara-Michigan State Prediction & Pick

These huge early-season spreads are worth betting on if you know the favorite is an elite team and will bring the hammer. Do we know this about Michigan State? We’re not sure yet. Pass on this one.

Final Niagara-Michigan State Prediction & Pick: Michigan State -28.5