Ole Miss vs. Michigan State: 2025 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 Predictions
After a whirlwind of action and seemingly non-stop college basketball action, we are at a standstill, in limbo until Thursday when the Sweet 16 gets underway with four games Thursday night and another four, including both South Region games, on Friday.
No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 2 Michigan State will kick things off first at 7:09 p.m. ET on CBS, with Michigan and Auburn squaring off at 9:39 p.m. ET on CBS.
I cover both games and our picks and predictions for each. Below we dive into the Sweet 16 game Ole Miss vs. Michigan State.
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NCAA Tournament Best Sweet 16 Bets: Ole Miss vs. Michigan State
(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)
Ole Miss vs. Michigan State
- Time: 7:09 p.m. ET
- Date: Friday, March 28
- Coverage: CBS
Ole Miss wasn't exactly on anyone's radar when coming into the tournament with a 22-11 record. Sure, they were perceived as a good team, but the same is true for most teams that make the NCAA Tournament. Beating North Carolina in the first round was one thing. The Tar Heels were the No. 11 seed to No. 6 for Ole Miss, but North Carolina was a 1.5-point favorite.
But they were 5.5-point underdogs to an excellent Iowa State team (No. 3 seed) and won by 13 points.
However, while they were not reliant on the three in either game, three-pointers played a significant role (8-for-20 vs. North Carolina and 11-for-19 vs. Iowa State). Michigan State is the best in the country at defending the perimeter (teams are shooting 27.8% from three-point range). Ole Miss has struggled on the boards this season, but won the rebound battle against North Carolina.
While they did not win the rebound battle against Iowa State, they made up for that by shooting over 58% from the field.
On paper, I'd have to give the Spartans the edge, but March Madness is not about who looks great on paper. It's more about teams that can find a way to take their game to another level and play their best basketball when it matters most. Ole Miss has done just that. I'm not 100% sure they'll win the game, but if they don't, I at least expect the score to be close.
Pick: Ole Miss +3.5 (-105)