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MSU was coming into their second round tournament game against Duke as a +6.5 underdog. Gambling911.com notes a 1.5 point overlay in this game.
The 23-12 Spartans just barely edged out Davidson Friday night but a win is a win. They got a career-high 27 points from Joey Hauser to edge the Wildcats 74-73.
The Spartans used a 16-3 run to go ahead for good while allowing just one field goal over a critical 6-minute stretch, pushing the Spartans to their largest lead at 67-59 with a minute left and seemingly putting the game away.
Michigan State is just 6-18 Straight Up as an away underdog over the last six seasons. They are 5-0 Against The Spread in their last 5 neutral site games.
MSU will face a Duke team that easily handled Cal Fullerton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Freshman Paolo Banchero scored 17 points to lead the Blue Devils (29-6), who jumped to a double-digit lead in the first 4 1/2 minutes. Duke led by 10 at halftime and pushed the margin to 20, avoiding the shocking exit that befell another of the sport's top programs — Kentucky — in a 2-vs.-15 matchup a night earlier.
“I mean, we all watched the game last night,” said Wendell Moore Jr., who had 13 points, six rebounds and six assists. “I mean, obviously we didn't want it to happen to us as well."
- Don Shapiro, Gambling911.com
