Weekend College Hoops Betting – Michigan-Michigan State and a Big East Showdown

March Madness is almost here and that means teams in the college hoops betting world are fighting for many things from conference titles to better seeds to their tournament lives as a whole. Two key games in the two best conferences in America, the Big Ten and Big East, will take center stage on Saturday, March 5 as Michigan hosts Michigan State and Connecticut takes on Notre Dame. Both are expected to be close and both have big implications.

Without further ado, let’s get to the picks for Saturday.

Michigan vs. Michigan State, 2 pm ET

The Wolverines and Spartans, bitter in-state rivals, will clash in a landmark game between the programs that is a case of one team on the upswing and another trying to hold on to its position as the top dog in the state.

Tom Izzo has all but guaranteed a victory for his Spartans after a Senior Day speech in the win over Iowa.

Michigan still has a lot to prove in order to come close to the Spartans as a program but they have young stars in Tim Hardaway Jr. and Darius Morris and are a slight favorite in most sportsbooks coming into what could be an NCAA Tournament elimination/play-in game.

UM won in the Breslin Center earlier this year, their first win there since 1998, and despite their youth have managed to play their way into most early brackets even though they started 1-6.

Michigan has been on a roll, however, going 8-3 in their last 11 while MSU has sputtered despite their win over Iowa this past week.

MSU has the edge in experience with last year’s Big Ten Player of the Year Kalin Lucas at the helm while Michigan has better all-around talent despite its youth.

This will be a close one, but it’s best to ride the hot hand in the Wolverines.

College hoops betting pick: UM 71, MSU 65

#16 Connecticut vs. #9 Notre Dame, 2pm ET

Kemba Walker, the Huskies’ dynamo of a scoring guard, will be honored here on Senior Day. Expect a big performance from him as he has completed his degree but is still a junior who might jump to the NBA after the season.

Ben Hansbrough and the Irish have been playing well lately and they have a shot at a #1 seed with a win.

But the Huskies are all of a sudden fighting for their tournament lives. They’re likely to get in but they need a strong finish to make 100% sure of being in and they need to improve their seeding or they’ll end up with a very tough path once they get to the tourney.

Notre Dame hasn’t won at U-Conn since the ’99-2000 seasons and that trend will continue on Saturday.

College basketball betting pick: Connecticut 66, ND 61