The No. 8 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs and the No. 9 seed Michigan State Spartans play in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. ET. The Spartans are 1-point favorites in the latest Michigan State vs. Mississippi State odds via SportsLine consensus, while the over/under for total points scored is 130.5 (see up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page). 

Before making any Michigan State vs. Mississippi State picks, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The model simulates every Division I college basketball game 10,000 times. It enters the 2024 NCAA tournament on a 148-106 roll on all top-rated college basketball picks dating back to last season, returning more than $1,700 for $100 players. It also has a strong 29-19 (+810) record on top-rated spread picks this season. Anyone following has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows Michigan State senior guard Tyson Walker is the main offensive threat for this team. Walker has good quickness and a knack for spacing the floor. The New York native leads the team in scoring (18.2) with 2.9 assists per game. In his last matchup, Walker finished with 15 points and two rebounds.

The model also knows Mississippi State freshman guard Josh Hubbard provides this squad with a stout but tough scorer. Hubbard gets into the paint with ease and has the ability to score with both hands. The Mississippi native averages a team-high 17.1 points with 2.1 rebounds per game. On Mar. 14, Hubbard had 20 points and one assist.

Now, the model has set its sights on Michigan State vs. Mississippi State. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see it before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Michigan State vs. Mississippi State, and which side of the spread hits in almost 60% of simulations? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the spread you should be all over, all from that's on a 29-19 roll on top-rated college basketball spread picks!