No. 15 Indiana Hoosiers at No. 17 Michigan State Spartans
Wednesday, 12/28/11, 7:30 PM EST, TV: N/A
Opening Point Spread: Michigan State -5
Current Betting Line: Michigan State -5
Opening Total: 140.5
Current Total: 140.5
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker
Indiana will look to extend its 12-game winning streak when it visits the Breslin Center Wednesday night to open up its Big Ten Conference schedule. “It’s a strong conference as always and we’re excited to get this thing going,” commented Hoosiers guard Jordan Hulls. “We got a lot of tasks at hand and a lot of hard games coming up.” The Hoosiers are currently scheduled to face three ranked opponents in their first three conference games. Indiana has shot 51.4 percent from the field and 45.9 percent from three-point range this season, ranking fifth and first nationally in those categories respectively.
The Hoosiers are led by forward Cody Zeller, who has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week four times and leads the team in scoring 15.1 points and grabbing 7.3 rebounds per game. Indiana may be shorthanded for Wednesday night’s contest, as three players are uncertain to play, combining to average 25.0 points per game. The Hoosiers suffered an 84-83 overtime loss in their last trip to East Lansing as 10.5-point road underdogs, while the game went ‘over’ the posted total of 135.5.
Michigan State has won 11 consecutive games since starting the 2011-12 campaign with neutral-site losses against North Carolina and Duke. The Spartans have alternated spread wins and losses over their last four games, coming off a 90-81 win over Lehigh as 15-point home favorites. “Indiana’s going to come in here 12-0 and you know they’ll be fired up,” commented Austin Thornton. “We’re going to have to be ready.” During its current win streak, the team is averaging 79.6 points per game and holding opponents to just 57.4 points.
The Spartans have compiled a 28-33 record in Big Ten Conference openers, including a 16-9 mark at home. During the Tom Izzo Era, the program is 10-6 when starting conference play, which includes a perfect 6-0 mark in front of the home faithful. Draymond Green is certainly a player to watch in this affair, averaging 12.0 points and 7.5 rebounds in four career games versus the Hoosiers. Michigan State owns a 34-21 advantage in this series when playing in East Lansing, which includes 16 straight wins inside the Breslin Center.
Bettors will likely back the Spartans due to home team being 14-3 ATS in the last 17 meetings, while the Hoosiers are 0-6 ATS versus conference foes.
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