The Michigan State Spartans and the Louisville Cardinals will close out the Midwest Region this afternoon when the face each other at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game is scheduled to tip off at 2:20pm ET and will be televised live on CBS. The winner will move on to the Final Four to compete against West Region winner Connecticut.
Michigan State vs Louisville Final Four Picks, Odds & Predictions at Sportsbook.com have the Cardinals listed as a -6.5 against the spread favorite.
Michigan State improved their overall record to 29-6 on Friday night, beating the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks 67-62 in Indianapolis. The Big Ten champions dispatched Robert Morris and USC in the previous two tournament rounds to run their winning streak to three games. They have now won nine of their last 10 contests and are 8-3 in neutral site play.
The Spartans certainly did not have a dominating offensive performance against the Jayhawks, but they forced Kansas into 19 turnovers and held them to 3-of-12 three point shooting. Tom Izzo's squad did turn in a clutch performance from the charity stripe, connecting on 16 of their 17 attempts. Offensively center Goran Suton and guard Kalin Lucas carried the load, uniting for 38 points. Lucas also had seven assists while Suton grabbed nine boards and had five steals.
The Big East conference and tournament champion Louisville Cardinals have coasted through the NCAA Tournament thus far. They beat Morehead State 74-54 in the opening and then sneaked by the Siena Saints 79-72 in round two. The 31-5 Cardinals secured their 13th straight victory on Friday by pounding Arizona 103-64.
Louisville shot lights against the Wildcats hitting 57.6 percent from the field and 48.3 percent from beyond the arc. As a team they dished out 29 assists and had five players score in double figures. The dynamic duo of Earl Clark and Terrence Williams turned in another big performance, scoring 33 points and grabbing 16 boards. Defensively, the Cardinals frustrated Arizona into 38.1 percent field goal shooting.
Sportsbook.com's Michigan State vs Louisville Final Four Picks, Odds & Predictions:
Michigan State Spartans +6.5 (-110), Over 138 (-110), +250 (Moneyline)
Louisville Cardinals -6.5 (-110), Under 138 (-110), -300 (Moneyline)
