NBA Postseason Best Bets (5/14)
Alex Christenson
The 2022-23 college basketball season is in midseason form, and we get some exciting matchups in the middle of conference play. Below is my favorite bet for Tuesday’s slate.
Michigan State vs. Maryland
(Line: Michigan State -2.5, DraftKings Sportsbook)
Typical in most of the sides I like, we have two teams trending in opposite directions in this one. Michigan State are losers of three of their last four and five of their last seven after starting Big Ten play 4-1. Meanwhile Maryland has been surging winners of six of their last eight including four straight. After dealing with injuries all season long, the Spartans are finally at full strength with versatile forward Malik Hall back in the fold who is a perfect matchup for the lengthy Terrapin wings. We now see Sparty undervalued a bit ranked down to 43rd per KenPom while Maryland’s recent form has brought them all the way up to 22nd.
A key reason for Maryland’s stellar recent play has been the improvement of undersized big man Julian Reese inside. Yet, Reese is not the typical back to the basket big Sparty has struggled with all season, and this should be one of the few matchups in the Big Ten where Mady Sissoko and Co. should be able to defend the rim. Coach Kevin Willard has recently been turning to a lot more drop coverage in their pick and roll defense (primarily to keep Reese out of foul trouble) which could spell trouble with crafty point guard AJ Hoggard at the point of attack for Michigan State. This game will come down to the battle of the back courts and I still think Sparty has the overall best backcourt behind Hoggard and Tyson Walker in the Big Ten. Michigan State is desperate for a win and the Breslin Center should be rocking on this Super Tuesday. I’ll gladly take the discount on Sparty here as I have this game capped around 5.
The Pick
Michigan State -2.5
