Michigan State vs. UConn NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 predictions: Odds, recent stats, trends and best bets

No. 2 seed UConn faces No. 3 seed Michigan State in a highly anticipated Sweet 16 matchup Friday night in Washington, D.

C. The matchup is a tactical duel featuring UConn’s complex offense, which thrives on off-ball screens and cuts, against Michigan State’s disciplined defensive schemes. At its core, this game comes down to Michigan State attempting to derail UConn’s motion-based offense with their transition game and defensive rebounding.

A major focal point will be the performance of UConn forward Alex Karaban , who takes the court riding a heater, having shot 9-16 in each of the Huskies’ first two games of the Tournament. The senior is also 8-17 from beyond the arc in those games. Karaban’s outside shooting combined with Tarris Reed Jr.

’s dominance on the boards – 40 rebounds in the last two games – has UConn playing some of their best basketball of the season. Michigan State will likely counter those strengths of UConn with the quickness of Coen Carr and Cam Ward to disrupt and wear down the veteran Karaban and the combination of Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler to battle Reed on the boards. While those players are all large pieces for Tom Izzo the Spartans go as Jeremy Fears Jr.