The No. 8 Mississippi State Bulldogs will play the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans in the first round of the 2024 NCAA tournament. The game will be held on Thursday, March 21, at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
No. 8 Mississippi State
NET: 31
KenPom Overall: 30
KenPom O: 59
KenPom D: 20
Record: 21-13
Strength of Schedule: 23
Conference: SEC
Conference Record: 8-10
Quad 1 Record: 4-9
Mississippi State entered the SEC tournament as a bubble team, and the Bulldogs did what needed to be done. After dropping the last four games of their regular season, Mississippi State grabbed a win over LSU before taking down top-seeded Tennessee, 73-56. They fell to Auburn in the SEC semifinals, but got themselves into the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. They will now be looking to win a tournament game for the first time since 2008.
The Bulldogs held opponents to 41.4% from the field this season (36th in the nation) and looked strong around the boards, grabbing 38.4 rebounds a night. Guard Josh Hubbard and forward Tolu Smith led the team in scoring, combining for over 32 points per game on average.
No. 9 Michigan State
NET: 24
KenPom Overall: 19
KenPom O: 57
KenPom D: 8
Record: 19-14
Strength of Schedule: 12
Conference: Big Ten
Conference Record: 10-10
Quad 1 Record: 3-9
Michigan State finished with a 19-14 overall record and went 10-10 in Big Ten conference play. They went into the conference tournament needing a strong performance, and beat Minnesota 77-67 in their first game. The Spartans then matched up with Purdue, and while they lost, it was only by five points.
Michigan State had the eighth-best adjusted defensive efficiency in the league, largely coming from pestering offenses with above average rates of steals and blocks. The Spartans’ scoring runs through guard Tyson Walker who averaged 18.2 points per game.
2024 March Madness: No. 9 Michigan State vs. No. 8 Mississippi state odds
Odds from DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Michigan State -2, Mississippi State +2
Over/Under: 127.5
Moneyline: Michigan State -142, Mississippi State +120