Big Ten basketball isn't a joke, and Tuesday at 9:00 p.m. EDT, Williams Arena is hosting another battle. The Michigan State Spartans (14-8; 12-9-1 ATS) are the visitors this time. Hosting them are the Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-7; 18-3-0 ATS), who have enjoyed Minneapolis all season. They hope that home will help them exact revenge for their January 18 loss in East Lansing. Michigan State took that game by 10 points, although the Golden Gophers beat the spread. Will the Spartans strike again, or is Minnesota going to finish on top this time?
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Michigan State may have taken down Minnesota once, thanks to Tyson Walker's 21-point performance, but that doesn't mean anything entering this game. The Spartans are 1-4 on the road (1-3-1 ATS), with the lone win coming by two points. This group usually excels defensively but allows 48.0% shooing as the away team. On the road, Michigan State's opponents put up 75.2 points per game and knocks down 37.7% of their threes. Their road woes hide a +1.0 rebounding margin and +2.5 turnover differential. KenPom thinks this defense is the 18th-best nationally, but it doesn't show in away contests.
AJ threw it up, @Coencarr2 threw it down ? pic.twitter.com/rQG7o2NRIw
— Michigan State Men's Basketball (@MSU_Basketball) February 4, 2024
Offensively, Sparty isn't spared from watching the team's scoring dip. Michigan State shoots 43.5% on the road, well down from their 47.4% mark for the season. Their scoring drops to 67.8 points per game. Surprisingly, the Spartans hit 41.2% of their threes and 75.8% of their free throws when they travel. Those are both improvements. Yet, those jumps are not enough to save this Michigan State team on the road.