The Michigan Wolverines and Michigan State Spartans have been exchanging blows on the basketball court for more than 117 years. The rivals have played each other 196 times.
And Friday night’s game at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, Mich., is arguably the biggest in the history of the series.
The Wolverines (19-1, 9-1 in Big Ten) enter the game ranked No. 3 in the country. The Spartans (19-2, 9-1) are No. 7. None of the previous 196 games in the series has featured a better aggregate ranking. The second-best aggregate came in February 2013 when Michigan was No. 4, and Michigan State was No. 8.
But rankings don’t tell the whole story. The Wolverines and Spartans are in a wild race atop the Big Ten standings. The teams are tied with No. 5 Nebraska (20-1) and No. 9 Illinois (18-3) for the lead in the conference. Friday’s winner will claim a key win in that Big Ten four-for-all.
Michigan is a slim 1.5-point favorite against Michigan State.
While Wolverines vs. Spartans is the marquee attraction on Friday, there are other options on a sporting landscape that includes nine NBA matchups and a full college basketball schedule. Below is a snapshot of what to watch and bet for Friday, Jan. 30. All times Eastern.
College basketball best bets, where to watch
No. 3 Michigan at No. 7 Michigan State
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: East Lansing, Mich. | TV: FOX | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Michigan State -101 | Expert: Michigan State +1.5 -115 (Matt Severance)
This showdown features the top two defensive teams in the country. Michigan leads the nation in defensive efficiency (89.6 points per 100 possessions, according to Kenpom), while Michigan State is second (89.8). The Spartans, however, have owned the series recently; they’ve won the last four meetings and seven of the last nine. They’ve also won the last seven matchups between the teams at the Breslin Center. “I don’t think Sparty is nearly as talented and should be a home dog, but MSU is almost never as talented as the top teams yet keeps winning thanks to Tom Izzo,” Severance says. The SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every college basketball game 10,000 times, says the Spartans have a 68.0% chance to win and assigns a strong ‘A’ grade to the Michigan State money line (-101).
Dayton at No. 21 Saint Louis
Time: 8 p.m. | Location: St. Louis | TV: CBSSN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Saint Louis -10.5 | Expert: Dayton +10.5 (Bruce Marshall)
The Billikens (20-1) are all the rage, party because of the bespectacled Robbie Avila, who already was a cult hero before he hit a game-winning 3-pointer to beat George Washington on Tuesday night. Saint Louis’ formula is simple: The Billikens defend like lions (35.8% opponent field goal percentage, best in the nation) and shoot like snipers (51.7% field goal percentage, fourth in the country). The SportsLine Projection Model says Saint Louis has a 62.0% chance to cover and gives a ‘B’ grade to Billikens -10.5. However, Marshall notes that Dayton (14-7), despite the losses, has been playing close games. “The 20-1 Bills have been pushed to the edge a couple of times in the past 10 days against Duquesne and GW, and are wearing an awfully big target in the A-10,” he says.
NBA best bets, where to watch
Raptors at Magic
Time: 7:30 p.m. | Location: Orlando | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Raptors +107
The Raptors (29-20) are only one victory away from matching last season’s win total. They’ve also won four in a row on the road, capped off by a 103-101 upset at Oklahoma City on Sunday, and are 16-9 away from home this season, the fourth-best road mark in the league. Defense has carried Toronto during the four-game road streak; the team has allowed just 108.8 points per 100 possessions, which is a substantial improvement over their season average of 112.1. On Friday, the Raptors will face an Orlando team that has lost four of its last five. The SportsLine Projection Model says there’s a 64.0% chance Toronto wins and assigns a strong ‘A’ grade to the Raptors money line (+107).
Pistons at Warriors
Time: 10 p.m. | Location: San Francisco | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: Over 224.5 | Expert: Pistons +2.5 (Bruce Marshall)
On Friday the Pistons will be playing the second half of a back-to-back. On Thursday they allowed Dillon Brooks to score a career-high 40 points, including 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc. That could lead to points on Friday night against the Warriors. Golden State is coming off a 140-point night on Wednesday against the Jazz in which the team shot 23-of-54 on 3-pointers. The SportsLine Projection Model says there’s a 59.1% chance the teams combine for 225 points or more and gives a ‘B’ grade to Over 224.5. Meanwhile, Marshall notes that Detroit has lost consecutive games just twice this season. “We still view the current version of the Warriors quite warily, with no Jimmy Butler or Jonathan Kuminga, and losing three of five minus Butler, with Wednesday’s win at Utah hardly a buy signal,” Marshall says.
Looking ahead
College basketball: No. 13 BYU at No. 14 Kansas
Time: 4:30 p.m. Saturday | Location: Lawrence, Kan. | TV: ESPN | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
SportsLine picks — Model: BYU +158
NBA Draftniks, rejoice. Saturday’s showdown between the BYU Cougars and Kansas Jayhawks will feature the players currently projected to go No. 1 and No. 2 overall in the summer’s draft: Kansas’ Darryn Peterson and BYU’s AJ Dybantsa. While Peterson has battled minor injury issues this season, Dybantsa has been spectacular, ranking second in the country in scoring (23.6 points per game). The SportsLine Projection Model says the Cougars have a 42.0% chance to win and assigns a B grade to the BYU money line (+158).
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