James Madison vs Michigan State Odds
| James Madison Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+16.5 -110 | 146.5 -115o / -105u | +1000 |
| Michigan State Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-16.5 -110 | 146.5 -115o / -105u | -2000 |
Below, we provide James Madison vs Michigan State odds and a pick, including an NCAAB betting guide for Monday, Nov. 6.
10 teams from the Big Ten tip off their seasons Monday night, as Michigan State opens its 29th campaign with head coach Tom Izzo at the helm.
The Spartans welcome in James Madison to the Breslin Center, as MSU tries to erase the memory of losing in overtime of the Sweet 16 to Kansas State to end last season.
The Dukes won't be a pushover in the opener. JMU won 22 games in 2022-23, but it's looking for a signature win in its second season in the Sun Belt.
James Madison Dukes
Last season, the Dukes had their fair share of ups and downs, despite the program’s first 20-win season since 2016. JMU lost at North Carolina and Virginia, while making only eight 2-pointers in a 55-50 defeat to the Cavaliers.
The head-scratching losses came to Valparaiso and Coppin State in overtime, as the Dukes laid 15.5 points to the Beacons and 16.5 points to the Eagles but lost outright each time.
The good news for JMU was it stepped up late in league play, winning 10 of its final 13 games and reaching the conference tournament semifinals before losing to surprising eighth-seed South Alabama, 75-66.
The Dukes lost a pair of double-digit scorers from last season in Vado Morse (12.0 PPG) and Takal Molson (11.3 PPG), but JMU will depend on point guard Terrence Edwards Jr., who put up 13.3 points per game.
The biggest improvement made from 2022 to 2023 under head coach Mark Byington was limiting opponents’ success on 2-point makes.
In 2021-2022, the Dukes ranked 347th in the country, according to KenPom, in defensive 2-point field-goal percentage by allowing opponents to shoot 55.7%.
Last season, JMU improved to 202nd in the country in that category by allowing 50.7% on opponents' 2-pointers attempted.
James Madison was listed as an underdog just five times last season and covered on three occasions, including as 12.5-point ‘dogs at Virginia.
Michigan State Spartans
Expectations are always high in East Lansing, as the Spartans are seeking their first Final Four appearance since 2019 when they lost to Texas Tech.
Michigan State closed last season ranked 26th in KenPom, but begins the 2023-24 campaign sitting at 13th. Four Big Ten teams start the season in the top 20, but MSU can help itself in non-conference play when it faces Duke, Arizona and Baylor in the next six weeks.
The Spartans went through somewhat of a wonky season in 2022-23, as it began 12-4, which included losses to Gonzaga and Alabama.
MSU pulled off seven straight wins before splitting its final 14 regular season games. Izzo’s squad was bounced in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament by Ohio State.
But then what normally happens to Sparty in the tournament when no one expects anything out of them, they make a run. As a seven seed, the Spartans knocked off USC and Marquette in the first two rounds prior to the 98-93 overtime defeat to Kansas State.
Four starters return from last season’s squad, led by point guard A.J. Hoggard, who averaged nearly 13 points per game and dished out a shade below six assists per contest. Last season’s leading scorer Tyson Walker returns for the Green & White after posting 14.8 points a night.
Only four teams in the country shot better than 39% from 3-point range last season, as the Spartans ranked third in the nation at 39.3% from long distance. James Madison actually limited opponents to 31.5% shooting on 3-pointers, so we’ll see if the Dukes can slow down this Spartans attack from deep.
James Madison vs. Michigan State
Betting Pick & Prediction
Michigan State usually takes care of business in its home opener, and there's no lookahead spot for the Spartans here. Southern Indiana invades the Breslin Center on Thursday before MSU takes on Duke in Chicago on November 14.
James Madison hung around in its two biggest non-conference games last season, but it may be hard to think that the Dukes can win this game — much less cover the number — with several key players gone.
This seems like a heavy number to lay against a team that won 22 games last season, but I have faith in Sparty to take care of business and cover the spread in their home opener.
