How to Watch: Ole Miss Basketball vs. Michigan State Spartans in Sweet 16 Matchup

The Ole Miss Rebels will square off against the Michigan State Spartans in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night with tip-off set for 6:09 p.m. CT in Atlanta.

In what will be the Rebels' second-ever appearance in the Sweet 16, all eyes will be on Chris Beard and Co. looking to punch their ticket to the Elite Eight.

It'll be a matchup against one of the most decorated coaches in the college game with Tom Izzo leading his Spartans squad to the Sweet 16 once again; setting the stage for a fiery matchup in State Farm Arena.

"Coach Izzo, everybody in our game could talk to him. He’s impacted the game in so many ways. It’s like when I worked for Coach Knight, there was never anybody I talked to in the basketball world that didn’t have some type of connection," Beard said on Thursday.

"Even if they never met Coach Knight, maybe they saw his first clinic, maybe they ran his offense, maybe they loved one of his stories or press conferences.

"It’s the same thing with Coach Izzo. To me, he’s Mt. Rushmore of this sport. To answer your question in a timely way, the first thing I think about is just his ability to adapt. He’s coached in all these different eras of college basketball, he’s had different players, different coaches, different rules, different styles of the game."

Preview: No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 2 Michigan State Spartans

The Start Time and How to Watch:

Start Time: 6:09 p.m. CT on Friday, March 28
Channel: CBS
Location: Atlanta (Ga.)

The Final Betting Lines: Ole Miss Rebels vs. Michigan State Spartans

(Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Spread:
- Ole Miss: (+3.5)
- Michigan State: (-3.5)

Moneyline:
- Ole Miss: (+150)
- Michigan State: (-180)

Over/Under: 144.5 (-110)

The Ole Miss Rebels will enter the clash in Atlanta as 3.5-point underdogs with Vegas favoring Tom Izzo's crew following an impressive Round of 32 victory over the New Mexico Lobos.

Beard's crew will have their backs against the wall with multiple expert model predictions, including ESPN's Basketball Power Index, favoring the Spartans on Friday night.

ESPN BPI's Pick: Spartans Take Control

ESPN BPI Predictor: Michigan State
ESPN BPI Predicted Point Differential: 3.5
ESPN BPI Win Probability (Iowa State): 64.5%
ESPN BPI Win Probability (Ole Miss): 35.5%

What is the ESPN Basketball Power Index?

"The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is," according to ESPN.

"Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily."

The Sweet 16 Schedule: Friday, March 28

(All Times Eastern)

(2) Michigan State vs. (6) Ole Miss, 7:09 p.m. | CBS
(2) Tennessee vs. (3) Kentucky, 7:39 p.m. | TBS
(1) Auburn vs. (5) Michigan, 9:39 p.m. | CBS
(1) Houston vs. (4) Purdue, 10:09 p.m. | TBS

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.