Pick on the total for Michigan State-Marquette on March 19

The Midwest will be prominently featured in the Round of 32 on Sunday when the Marquette Golden Eagles and Michigan State Spartans hook up on Sunday in Columbus Ohio.

Michigan State Spartans vs. Marquette Golden Eagles (-2.5, 140)

Both teams enter relying on their offenses as Marquette entered the weekend ranked 91st in the country in points allowed per possession while Michigan State entered 128th nationally in this category.

The Spartans rely heavily on perimeter shooting, entering Sunday third in the country in 3-point shooting percentage at 39.4% with three of their four players that average more than nine points per game shooting at least 41.7% from 3-point range.

There should be open outside looks for Marquette as Michigan State ranks 55th in the country overall in opponent 3-point shooting percentage, but the team's defense has not traveled well, allowing opponents to shoot 25.4% from 3-point range in home games and 35.8% from distance away from home. The diminished 3-point shooting defense away from home are a big reason why Michigan State allows 12.1 more points per 100 possessions when away from home.

  
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