The No. 2 Michigan State Spartans are set to face off against the No. 15 Bryant Bulldogs in an first-round matchup. Tom Izzo’s Spartans, making their 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, and without a big named player this could be one of his best teams in years. Bryant, under Phil Martelli Jr., enters the tournament as America East Conference champions, known for their breakneck pace. The Bulldogs have consistently ranked among the fastest teams in college basketball over the past five seasons. Bryant will likely try to push the tempo and many experts think this will force Michigan State out of their comfort zone, State will run with the best of them they just prefer not to. Bryant shoots the three and MSU is one of the better teams at defending the three/ it’s hard not to view this as a matchup tailor-made for Michigan State to showcase their strengths while minimizing their weaknesses. But to me that is the problem and has been for the Spartans for years. In their loss to Wisky in the Big 1o Tournement they went the final 9 minutes of the first half without a field goal and went in the locker room trailing after dominating the first half. They cannot let bryant get hot from deep.

I dont expect the Spartans to lose, but I think it will be closer than the number..

Take Bryant and the points. This is a free play.

We have two good offenses going at it in the matchup. Xavier finished the season winning eight of their last nine games. Illinois has been dealing with injuries or illness all season and that has led them to be very inconsistent this season. The Illini are just 316th in three-point shooting while Xavier is sixth. Xavier plays at a fast pace and will look to run against Illinois. Xavier is 7-2 against the spread in their last nine games. I think Xavier will win this one outright but take the points.

Play on Xavier. This is a free play.