by Chuck Sommers
Sunday, Jan 22, 2023
Time: Noon ET
Venue: Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, Bloomington, IN
Where to watch: CBS
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Indiana -4
FanDuel: Indiana -3.5
BetMGM: Indiana -4.5
Caesars: Indiana -4
Season record
Michigan State: 13-6 (5-3 Big Ten)
Indiana: 12-6 (3-4 Big Ten)
We’re nearing the halfway mark of the college basketball season and it’s been quite the ride so far. Will Rogers is going hard in the last 30 days with a 16-10-1 run, while Kyle Hunter has also had a strong run of form as of late at 28-24-0 (+$1,700). If they’ve been killing it as much as they were in the first half, what does the second half have in store? The only way you’re going to find out is by staying locked on bigal.com and following what our champion handicappers are up to heading into the second half. Trust us, you want to know.
Michigan State - Indiana preview, prediction and analysis
The Michigan State Spartans will try to win for the ninth time in 11 games when they visit the Indiana Hoosiers on Sunday as Michigan State continues to try and get back to the top 25.
It has been a slow start to the season for Michigan State, but this recent stretch of winning has nearly put that bad taste under their mouths. In this season that has been mostly defined by losses to Gonzaga and Alabama, Michigan State has found a way to sort of rebound through conference play despite losing to some of the top tier teams in the conference.
Michigan State is coming off a 70-57 victory over Rutgers on Thursday and what was a very solid defensive effort by the Spartans. They held Rutgers to just 34% shooting and two of 17 from 3 point range, good for 12%. AJ Hoggard the way it was 16 points on four of 10 shooting and Tyson Walker at 12 points as well. Joey Hauser contributed with 13 points and six rebounds.
This has already been a very weird college basketball season in in which a lot of the top teams that we are accustomed to seeing have had some sort of up and down type of campaign. But clearly if Michigan State were to win this game and grab a ninth win in 11 games, people would start to take notice in Michigan State would likely find its way back to the top 25 of the country. whether or not Tom Izzo can get there with this group remains to be seen.
“It was a big win for us," Izzo said. “That is a very good team. They’re the only team to beat Purdue."
Indiana is trying to win its third straight game after losing three in a row in what has been a rather weird season of its own for the Hoosiers. Indiana has become one of those teams where they can lose to Northwestern and Penn State, but follow it with a 15 point victory over a very solid Illinois team and an 18 point win at home against Wisconsin, which usually poses that's a big challenge.
In that victory over Illinois, Indiana was 6.5 point underdogs and controlled the entire game from pretty much the start. Trayce Jackson-Davis Had a game high 35 points to go along with nine rebounds, and Jordan Geronimo chipped in with 13 points of his own as Indiana shot 62 percent from the field.
Prediction
Michigan State’s defense has been fairly middle of the pack as of late, but you can trust Izzo to get you a victory at this time of year over anything else. That, at least, you can trust will get the job done. Michigan State 74, Indiana 68
Betting trends
Michigan State is 17-16 ATS as an underdog the last 3 seasons.
Michigan State is 10-16 ATS on the road the last 3 seasons.
Indiana is 30-20 ATS as a favorite the last 3 seasons.
Indiana is 20-12 ATS after covering 2 of the last 3 the last 3 seasons.
Michigan State is 17-16 ATS as an underdog the last 3 seasons.
Michigan State is 10-16 ATS on the road the last 3 seasons.
Indiana is 30-20 ATS as a favorite the last 3 seasons.
Indiana is 20-12 ATS after covering 2 of the last 3 the last 3 seasons.
Projected starting lineup
Michigan State:
PG: Tyson Walker
SG: Jaden Akins
SF: A.J. Hoggard
PF: Joey Hauser
C: Mady Sissoko
Indiana:
PG: Jalen Hood
SG: Tamar Bates
SF: Jordan Geronimo
PF: Miller Kopp
C: Trayce Jackson-Davis
Statistical leaders
Michigan State:
Points: Tyson Walker -- 14.6
Rebounds: Joey Hauser -- 7.7
Assists: A.J. Hoggard -- 6.3
Indiana:
Points: Trayce Jackson-Davis -- 18.6
Rebounds: Trayce Jackson-Davis -- 9.8
Assists: Xavier Johnson -- 4.9
Don't miss our champion handicappers' free picks and expert basketball picks today. And if you enjoyed this Michigan State - Indiana prediction, be sure to drop by every day for our daily college basketball projections and previews.
Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
