How to Watch Oregon Ducks vs. Michigan State Spartans: Preview, TV Channel, Betting Odds

The No. 8 Oregon Ducks (24-8, 12-8 Big Ten) men's basketball team will face the No. 1 Michigan State Spartans (26-5, 17-3 Big Ten) on Friday, March 14, at 9 a.m. PT. The quarterfinal matchup of the Big Ten Conference Tournament at the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis will be televised on the Big Ten Network.

Preview

After a 72-59 win over the No. 9 Indiana Hoosiers in the second round of the tournament on Thursday, Oregon coach Dana Altman's program extend their winning streak to eight games. Three more wins from the Ducks are needed to be the final team standing in the Big Ten.

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is searching for his seventh Big Ten Tournament title. In the regular season meeting between these two foes in East Lansing on Feb. 8, the Spartans beat the Ducks 86-74 behind a strong team shooting performance from the field (27-for-54, 50.0 percent) and on three-pointers (8-for-18, 44.4 percent). Michigan State also dominated on the glass (40-27) behind junior forward Jaxon Kohler's 12 rebounds.

"Michigan State is playing really well and they're really good, deep, well coached. We know we're going to have a really tough game. We're going to have to play our tails off to give them a game."
Oregon coach Dana Atman

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo talks to the team during the second half in the game against Michigan on Sunday, March 9, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Izzo has always had disciplined teams on the defensive end and this season is no different. Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in points allowed per game with 67.0, and first in opponent's field goal percentage with 40.0 as well as opponent's three-point percentage with 28.0. They also grab the second-most rebounds per game at 40.0 and lead the conference in blocks per game at 4.7.

Offensively, the Spartans do turn over the ball 11.7 times per game while the Ducks force 12.3 turnovers per game. Oregon's backcourt consisting of sophomore guard Jackson Shelstad, senior guard Keeshawn Barthelemy, and senior guard TJ Bamba must attack Michigan State's lack of ball security in order to pull off this upset in Indianapolis.

Spartans senior guard Jaden Akins leads the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game on 39.9 shooting from the field. His three-point shooting has taken a major dip to 29.6 percent compared to his first three seasons with Michigan State. Forcing Akins to take those tough looks from beyond the arc early and get in a shooting slump is the Oregon game plan.

Michigan State's Coen Carr, center, celebrates with, from left, Jase Richardson, Frankie Fidler and Jaden Akins after Carr's 3-pointer against Florida Atlantic during the second half on Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Since Spartans guard Jase Richardson (son of NBA legend Jason Richardson) was plugged into the starting lineup in the first Oregon matchup, Izzo has kept him in there ever since. Having the freshman out there has opened up the floor even more for the Michigan State offense. Richardson finished with a game-high 29 points on 9-for-13 field goals, 3-for-6 three-pointers, and 8-for-9 free throws in the regular season matchup against the Ducks.

Oregon has been playing outstanding defense as of late. Opponents are averaging just 58.1 points per game against the Ducks in their last eight opportunities. This effort on the defensive side of the ball is headlined by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Trophy finalist Nate Bittle. The senior 7-0 center ranks No. 2 in the Big Ten Conference in blocks with 2.2 per game and No. 9 in rebounds at 7.3 per game.

Altman is a very good coach... They've got a guard and a big that are really good and they've got eight man deep that can play."
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo

Oregon has to get back on defense quickly when dealing with the high-flying Coen Carr. The Michigan State sophomore forward is one of the quickest in transition and can drain the energy out of an opposing team when he throws it down. All the Michigan State guards have to do is throw it up near the rim to let Carr go and get it.

Michigan State's Coen Carr, left, dunks against Wisconsin's John Tonje, center, during the first half on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Ducks currently have nine Quad 1 wins and stand at No. 29 in the NET rankings. KenPom ranks Oregon as the No. 30 program in college basketball with the No. 34 offense and the No. 28 defense.

ESPN's Joe Lunardi has Oregon currently as a No. 5 seed playing in Seattle at the Climate Pledge Arena. A win over the Spartans in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals can push that seed to No. 4.

Per FanDuel, Michigan State is favored to win against Oregon. The spread is -5.5 points in favor of the Spartans, and the the over/under points total is set at 142.5. Money line for Oregon is +184 and -225 for Michigan State.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.