Ole Miss vs Michigan State prediction, pick, odds March Madness

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Ole Miss basketball is in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history.

No. 6 seed Ole Miss (24-11) will face No. 2 Michigan State (29-6) on Friday (6:09 p.m. CT, CBS) in Atlanta. Coach Chris Beard’s Rebels beat No. 11 North Carolina 71-64 and No. 3 Iowa State 91-78 to advance.

The Spartans, led by coach Tom Izzo, have beaten two double-digit seeds in their march through the bracket: No. 15 Bryant 87-62 in the first round and No. 10 New Mexico 71-63.

Here are the keys to the matchup:

Will Sean Pedulla, Ole Miss shooters stay hot on 3-pointers?

Michigan State has the No. 5 defense in the country, according to KenPom. The success comes in large part from defending the 3-point line, where MSU is ranked No. 1.

The advanced metrics play out on the court. The Spartans allow 67 points per game, which is No. 3 in the Big Ten.

Although Ole Miss hasn’t been overly reliant on 3-pointers in the regular season, the deep ball has been a boost in the NCAA tournament. The Rebels shot 8-for-20 on 3-pointers against UNC and 11-for-19 against the Cyclones. That adds up to 19-for-39 (49%) across the tournament. If Ole Miss keeps that up, it will be difficult to beat.

Sean Pedulla, Jaemyn Brakefield, Matthew Murrell, Jaylen Murray and Dre Davis all have made multiple 3-pointers in the tournament.

Rebounding will be huge — and it’s been a weak spot for Ole Miss

Michigan State rebounds well. Ole Miss has struggled. It’s an on-paper deficit the Rebels will need to make up on the court.

The Spartans outrebounded Bryant 54-29 and New Mexico 34-28. It has been a trend the whole season, as they are the No. 2 rebounding team in the Big Ten. Jaxon Kohler, a 6-foot-9 forward, leads the Spartans with 7.8 rebounds per game.

Although Ole Miss finished 15th in the SEC in rebounding this season, it has been better in the NCAA tournament. The Rebels grabbed five fewer than Iowa State but six more than North Carolina.

Buy Ole Miss NCAA tournament tickets vs. Michigan State

Chris Beard, Tom…

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Publish date : 2025-03-25 00:31:00

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