Michigan State Spartans vs Duke Blue Devils Prediction, 12/1/2020 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Duke Blue Devils

Date: Tuesday, December 1, 2020

Location: Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC

TV: ESPN

Odds/Point Spread: Michigan State (+5)

The Michigan State Spartans (2-0) travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday where they'll meet the Duke Blue Devils (1-0). Michigan State opens this game as 5-point underdogs. The O/U is set at 152.

Michigan State will enter this game with a mark of 2-0 on the season. They lose possession via turnover 15.0 times per game and as a unit they commit 18.0 fouls every game. As a unit, Michigan State is pulling in 42.5 boards per game and has 53 dimes so far this season, which has them ranked 11th in Division 1 in terms of passing. The Spartans are connecting on 38.0% on shots beyond the perimeter (19 of 50) and 75.0% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 81.5 pts per game (79th in Division 1) while shooting 48.0% from the floor. When they are on the defensive end, the Spartans have forced 9.5 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 15.5 personal fouls. They surrender 28.6% on three-point shots and they are 213th in the nation in points per game from their opponents (68.5). The Spartans defense is giving up a shooting percentage of 37.9% (47 of 124) and they concede 32.5 boards per game as a squad. They are currently ranked 252nd in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 27 conceded on the year.

The Michigan State Spartans faced off with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and notched a win by a score of 80-70 in their last contest. Michigan State finished the contest with a 42.9% FG percentage (30 out of 70) and knocked down 7 of their 22 shots from beyond the perimeter. From the free throw line, the Spartans made 13 of their 16 attempts for a percentage of 81.3%. In regard to grabbing boards, they compiled 46 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also doled out 26 assists in this matchup as well as having 9 steals and 12 blocks. In relation to the defense, Michigan State allowed their opponent to shoot 42.9% from the floor on 30 out of 70. Notre Dame recorded 13 dimes and 4 steals for the matchup. In addition, the Fighting Irish grabbed 33 rebounds (6 offensive, 27 defensive) and added 12 blocks. Notre Dame shot 76.9% from the free throw line by burying 20 of 26 attempts. They converted 8 of 21 tries from long range.

Aaron Henry is a player who saw a lot of court time for the matchup. He notched 14 points on 4 of 11 shooting. He was on the hardwood for 26 minutes played and also collected 8 rebounds. Henry shot 36.4% from the field and also dished out 3 assists. Another guy that saw a lot of minutes in this contest for the Spartans was Joshua Langford. He pulled down 2 rebounds and also earned 4 assists. He finished the contest at 42.9% from the floor in this game via 3-of-7 (8 points). When the final whistle blew, Langford played for 26 min.

Duke has a record of 1-0 for the year. The Blue Devils are responsible for committing 19 fouls per contest while shooting 40.0% from the free throw line. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 20 times per contest (27th in the nation) and they are turning it over 22 times per game. Duke has totaled 81 points this season and they grab 50 boards per game. In terms of offensive execution, the Blue Devils are shooting 53.1% from the field, which has them ranked 31st in the nation. The Blue Devils on defense are ranked 235th in D-1 in PPG surrendered with 71.0. The Duke defense surrenders 28.6% from downtown (10 of 35) and their opponents are converting on 71.4% of their free throw attempts. They give up 7 dimes and 31 boards on a nightly basis, which ranks them 111th and 149th in those defensive categories. They are forcing their opponents into 8.0 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 32.9% from the floor (115th in college hoops).

For their last game, the Duke Blue Devils walked away with a victory by a final of 81-71 when they faced the Coppin State Eagles. The Blue Devils earned 36 defensive rebounds and 14 offensive boards for a total of 50 in this contest. They rejected 7 tries while recording 6 steals in this contest. The Eagles committed 12 fouls for the game which took the Blue Devils to the charity stripe for a total of 10 shots. They were able to convert 4 of those for a clip of 40.0%. With respect to three-point shots, Duke knocked down 9 out of their 27 tries (33.3%). When this game wrapped up, the Blue Devils finished shooting 34 out of 64 from the field which gave them a rate of 53.1%. The Blue Devils allowed the Eagles to knock down 23 of their 70 attempts from the field which gave them a percentage of 32.9% for this game. They finished shooting 28.6% from 3-point land via 10 of 35 and finished the game at 15 out of 21 at the charity stripe (71.4%). In relation to how they cleaned up the glass, Duke allowed Coppin State to pull down 30 in all (11 offensive).

Jalen Johnson ended up seeing a lot of time on the hardwood for the Blue Devils in this contest. He made 8 of 8 in the game giving him a field goal percentage of 100.0%, which had him finishing with 19 points. Johnson snagged 39 boards in his 35 mins played and had 5 dimes for the contest. Someone else who was a determining factor for Duke was Matthew Hurt. He ended up with 12 points in his 29 minutes played by way of 5 of 11 shooting for this game. Hurt ended up shooting 45.5% from the field and also earning 3 dimes and 7 boards.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Michigan State (+5)

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