Michigan vs. Michigan State Odds, Predictions & Picks for Friday, January 30

The No. 3 Michigan Wolverines and No. 7 Michigan State Spartans renew their rivalry on the hardwood tonight. FOX has live coverage from the Breslin Center starting at 8 p.m. ET.

Michigan (19-1 SU, 8-11 ATS) and Michigan State (19-2 SU, 10-9-2 ATS) are tied atop the Big Ten standings with Nebraska and Illinois.

DraftKings is dealing the Wolverines as a 1.5-point road favorite with a total of 147.5 as of publication. There’s decent two-way action with 53% of the spread handle and 59% of tickets on Michigan.

Best Bet Michigan vs. Michigan State: UNDER 147.5 (-105 at DraftKings)

KenPom ranks Michigan State and Michigan as the No. 1 and No. 2 defensive teams in the country, respectively. Points could be at a premium tonight with the Spartans allowing just 63.5 and the Wolverines yielding 68.8 ppg.

The UNDER has hit in 7 of the last 8 games for both Michigan and Michigan State. The Spartans are also 9-3 to the UNDER in home games this season. Expect a good old-fashioned rock fight tonight on MSU’s raucous home floor.

Pick: UNDER 147.5

Best Bet Michigan vs. Michigan State: Spartans +100 on Moneyline

You can opt to play Michigan State +1.5 on the spread, but we expect Sparty to win this game outright and give Tom Izzo a nice birthday present in the process. Izzo, who turns 71 today, remains one of college basketball’s elite coaches.

MSU guard Jeremy Fears is coming off a career-high 29 points in an 88-79 OT win at Rutgers on Tuesday. Fears is one of the NCAA’s best distributors of the ball, ranking second nationally with 8.9 assists per game, but his scoring will also be needed tonight.

The Spartans carry a seven-game winning streak into tonight’s tilt. MSU has also won the last four straight against Michigan.

MSU’s elite interior defense can contain Michigan’s frontline players, including forwards Yaxel Lendeborg (team-leading 14.2 ppg) and Morez Johnson (13.9 ppg), along with center Aday Mara (10.9 ppg).

Center Carson Cooper and forward Jaxon Kohler will be neutralizing forces down low for MSU tonight. That will be the difference in a game where the home court truly matters.

The last time we previewed Michigan, the Wolverines cashed a winning ticket for us by beating Villanova, 89-61, as a 16.5-point favorite. Expect a much different outcome tonight.

Pick: Michigan State +100 on moneyline

Best Player Prop for Michigan vs. Michigan State

Jeremy Fears Jr. OVER 14.5 Points (-112 at FanDuel)

Fears has 14+ points in his last nine games, and at least 15 in six of his last seven contests. His consistency keys MSU’s success, and Fears is a great bet to eclipse 14.5 points. While he averages 14.1 ppg this season, his pace has picked up to 20.4 ppg over his last five games.