Michigan State Spartans vs Indiana Hoosiers Prediction, 3/1/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Michigan State Spartans vs Indiana Hoosiers

Date: Sunday, March 1, 2026

Location: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington, IN

TV: ESPN+

The Indiana Hoosiers (17-11) host the Michigan State Spartans (23-5) at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Sunday.

The Michigan State Spartans played Purdue and earned the victory with a final of 76-74 in their last contest. Michigan State finished with a 52.7% FG percentage (29 out of 55) and buried 6 out of their 19 3-pointers. From the charity stripe, the Spartans made 12 of 16 shots for a rate of 75.0%. With regard to hauling in rebounds, they earned 23 with 6 of them being of the offensive sort. They also recorded 15 assists for the contest as well as forcing 8 turnovers and earning 6 steals. When talking about defense, Michigan State allowed their opponent to shoot 49.1% from the floor on 28 of 57 shooting. Purdue recorded 23 assists and had 3 steals in the matchup. Moreover, Purdue collected 25 rebounds (7 offensive, 18 defensive), but couldn't earn a rejection. Purdue finished the game shooting 66.7% at the free throw line by making 6 of 9 attempts. They knocked down 12 out of their 25 shots from beyond the arc. In regard to personal fouls, the Spartans finished with 13 and Purdue finished the game with 15 personal fouls.

Carson Cooper is one player who was a major factor for the game. He ended up going 66.7% from the floor and also totaled 1 assist. He saw the court for 30 minutes and also totaled 6 rebounds. He ended up scoring 15 points on 6 of 9 shooting.

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Michigan State heads into this contest with a win-loss record of 23-5 on the campaign. They average 78.4 points per game (127th in Division 1) while shooting 46.8% from the floor. The Spartans are connecting on 35.0% on shots from 3-point land (212 of 605) and 75.6% from the free throw line. As a team, Michigan State is snagging 40.6 rebounds per game and is sitting with 517 assists for the campaign, which is 16th in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. They are giving up possession 11.6 times per contest and as a team they commit 16.2 fouls per contest.

On the defensive end of the court, the Spartans have forced 10.2 turnovers per game and they draw 18.7 fouls. They are 117th in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 365 conceded for the year. The Spartans defense is giving up a field goal percentage of 40.1% (636 of 1,588) and they surrender 28.4 boards per contest as a unit. They concede 31.6% on three-point shots and they are 22nd in the country in PPG allowed (66.4).

When they last played, the Indiana Hoosiers took a loss by a score of 72-68 when they faced Northwestern. When discussing rebounding, Indiana allowed Northwestern to get 27 in all (6 on the offensive side). They finished shooting 46.2% from behind the 3-point line by going 6 out of 13 and walked away from this one shooting 14 out of 18 at the free throw line (77.8%). The Hoosiers allowed Northwestern to knock down 26 of 54 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 48.1% for the matchup. Overall, the Hoosiers went 23 for 50 from the field which gave them a percentage of 46.0%. Regarding shooting from beyond the arc, Indiana converted 10 out of 28 attempts (35.7%). They were able to bury 12 of the free throw tries for a clip of 85.7%. Northwestern committed 13 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Hoosiers to the free throw line for 14 tries. They coughed it up 9 times, while earning 3 steals in the game. The Hoosiers were able to collect 14 defensive boards and 2 offensive boards for a total of 16 for the game.

Lamar Wilkerson was important for the Hoosiers in the game. He tallied 18 points in his 36 mins of playing time and had 3 assists in the matchup. He converted 5 of 17 in the game for a field goal rate of 29.4%, and had 5 rebounds.

Indiana has a mark of 17-11 for the year. The Hoosiers have committed 18.5 fouls per game and they go 78.5% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 17.2 times per contest (28th in the nation) and they turn it over 10.2 times per game. Indiana has scored 2,221 pts so far this season (79.3 per contest) and they pull down 32.9 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Hoosiers are shooting 47.1% from the field, which is ranked 71st in college.

The Indiana defense allows 32.0% on shots from beyond the arc (189 of 591) and their opposition makes 75.4% of their free throw shots. They surrender 12.0 assists and 33.1 boards per game, which is ranked 72nd and 96th in D-1. The Hoosiers defensively are ranked 130th in D-1 in points per game surrendered with 72.1. They are able to force 10.3 turnovers on a nightly basis and allow teams to shoot 42.4% from the field (83rd in D-1).

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Indiana

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