The 6-seed Louisville Cardinals squeaked by the 11-seed South Florida Bulls on Thursday, 83-79. Louisville shot 54% from the field and 52% from beyond the arc, but converted only 56% from the charity stripe while turning the ball over 22 times.
The 3-seed Michigan State Spartans overwhelmed the 14-seed North Dakota State Bison, 92-67. Michigan State shot 59% from the field, 50% from downtown and 89% from the line. The Spartans were +12 on the glass, dished out 13 more dimes and had 10 more points in the paint.
The Cardinals and Spartans will meet on Saturday with tipoff TBD.
Michigan State opens as a 4.5-point favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook, while Louisville sits as a +170 underdog. The game total is set at O/U 150.5 points.
Michigan State finished with a 26-7 regular season record, good for second in the Big Ten. Per Bart Torvik, Michigan State has a power ranking of 13 with the 27th-best offense and 17th-best defense.
Louisville was 24-10 and finished sixth in the ACC. The Cardinals are rated as the 17th-best team with the 20th-best offense and 23rd-best defense.
