Auburn Will Advance Past Spartans To Final Four

Michigan State vs. Auburn, 5:05 ET

There comes a point in every betting man's (or woman's) season where they go "Is it worth it?" For most of the NBA year, I've asked that question. I've had spurts of great results, but it hasn't been a pretty year. For College Basketball though, I was never asking that question this year. That is until now. I'm as cold as they get with my picks, and need to get back on track as there are only three games remaining after the final horn on this one. With that said, let's find a winner as Michigan State takes on Auburn with a chance to get to the Final Four.

Michigan State is not a team that I expected to get this far when the college season started all those months ago. They weren't really on anyone's radar and the talk was more about how much longer Tom Izzo had on the bench than it was about him making a deep run with his team. Still, I think we were all a bit foolish to not realize that Izzo is one of the best and can usually make it work with most programs. This season has resulted in a beautiful 30-6 record, a Big 10 regular season championship, and a loss to Wisconsin in the Big 10 Tournament. In their matchups this tournament, they disposed of Bryant without any issues. They then had to take on New Mexico who they were able to beat by eight points. The most recent game, against Ole Miss was one they only won by three points. It was somewhat of a back-and-forth battle for the majority of the game, but I also felt like Michigan State was behind for most of it (just not by much). They essentially were only leading in the final couple of minutes. That takes a lot out of you both mentally and physically.

Dec 30, 2024; East Lansing, Michigan, USA;  The Michigan State Spartans bench reacts after a basket late in their game against the Western Michigan Broncos at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images

Auburn is the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament, but right now, and even coming into the tournament, they looked like they were the most vulnerable. For the majority of the year, Auburn looked like they were unbeatable. They were dominating in most games and escaping even close games with a victory. The record overall is 31-5. Their losses came against Duke, Florida, Texas A&M, Alabama, and Tennessee. They also beat Houston, so they are one of the few teams to say they've also faced some of the best competition in the sport this year. They are certainly tested, but the question is are they running out of gas? They were 27-2 after a win on March 1st. Since that point they're just 4-3. They dominated Alabama State in the opener, cruised pasted Creighton, and didn't really struggle against Michigan in the last game.

This is one that Auburn should also win. I think Michigan State is really good, and Tom Izzo is a coach that you really don't want to bet against, but Bruce Pearl is pretty solid himself. Personally, I don't want to touch the total because I think we could see both teams struggle to score, or find ways to get into open spaces with effectively run offenses. Too many various outcomes for me here. I'm going to back Auburn to cover instead. Looking at their tournament so far, I think they are getting into better form. Michigan State has been through a tough emotional game previously, and I normally like to fade those teams. Back Auburn here. 

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