Michigan State vs. UConn Opening Odds, Preview for March Madness Sweet 16

Two of the best coaches in college basketball will clash in the Sweet 16 when Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans take on Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies in a 3 vs. 2 showdown.

Michigan State beat North Dakota State and Louisville in the first two rounds, while UConn beat Furman and UCLA. The Spartans are looking to return to the Elite Eight for the second-straight season, while the 2023 and 2024 back-to-back champions are keeping their hopes alive of winning the National Championship for the third time in four seasons.

Let's take a look at the opening odds for this Big Ten vs. Big East showdown.

Michigan State vs. UConn Opening Odds for Sweet 16

Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Michigan State +1.5 (-105)
UConn -1.5 (-115)

Moneyline

Michigan State +112
UConn -134

Total

OVER 135.5 (-115)
UNDER 135.5 (-105)

This game currently has the closest odds at FanDuel amongst all eight Sweet 16 matchups.

Michigan State vs. UConn Preview

Michigan State stumbled late in the year, losing to Michigan in its regular season finale and then falling to UCLA in the Big Ten Tournament, but Tom Izzo has his players firing on all cylinders in the NCAA Tournament. He led the program to a National Championship in the 2000-2001 season, and is looking to win it all one more time before he calls it a career. He has made Final Fours since then, but has yet to get over that hump.

UConn were the back-to-back national champions in the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 seasons, but lost in the Round of 32 last year. The Huskies fell short in the Big East Tournament Final this season before being given a No. 2 seed in this year's NCAA Tournament.

UConn has had impressive underlying numbers this season, ranking 35th in effective field goal percentage and 13th in defensive efficiency, but a down year for the Big East and some questionable performances has left people wondering if the Huskies are truly as good as their metrics say they are.

Meanwhile, Michigan State is coming out of an extremely Big Ten Conference that has six representatives in the Sweet 16. The Spartans rank 66th in eFG% and 40th in defensive efficiency, but they'll have to find a way to score in the interior against UConn's strong front court.

This game has all the signs of being a defensive battle.

UConn is eighth on the odds list to win the National Championship at +2700, while Michigan State is right behind them at +3000.

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