Mississippi State and Michigan State meet in opening round of NCAA Tournament

Updated Mar. 20, 2024 3:22 a.m. ET

Associated Press

Michigan State Spartans (19-14, 11-11 Big Ten) vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs (21-13, 10-11 SEC)

Charlotte, North Carolina; Thursday, 12:15 p.m. EDT

FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK LINE: Spartans -1; over/under is 130.5

BOTTOM LINE: Mississippi State plays Michigan State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulldogs are 10-11 against SEC opponents and 11-2 in non-conference play. Mississippi State scores 74.8 points while outscoring opponents by 5.7 points per game.

The Spartans' record in Big Ten play is 11-11. Michigan State ranks eighth in the Big Ten with 23.0 defensive rebounds per game led by Malik Hall averaging 3.9.

Mississippi State makes 45.5% of its shots from the field this season, which is 4.3 percentage points higher than Michigan State has allowed to its opponents (41.2%). Michigan State has shot at a 46.1% clip from the field this season, 4.5 percentage points greater than the 41.6% shooting opponents of Mississippi State have averaged.

TOP PERFORMERS: Josh Hubbard is averaging 17.1 points for the Bulldogs. Tolu Smith is averaging 13.4 points over the last 10 games.

Tyson Walker is shooting 44.2% and averaging 18.2 points for the Spartans. Jaden is averaging 1.3 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Bulldogs: 5-5, averaging 76.0 points, 35.7 rebounds, 12.1 assists, 7.6 steals and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 47.2% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 73.1 points per game.

Spartans: 5-5, averaging 69.9 points, 34.2 rebounds, 13.8 assists, 7.4 steals and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 43.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 68.1 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.