The 2024 Maui Invitational rumbles on to the next round as the Memphis Tigers and Michigan State Spartans battle in the semifinal tonight at the Lahaina Civic Center.
Memphis survived a thrilling 99-97 overtime win against UConn in the quarterfinal while Michigan State handled Colorado with ease, 72-56. Still, our Memphis vs. Michigan State predictions are siding with the Tigers.
Check out our college basketball picks and predictions for Tuesday, November 26 with tip set for 6 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Memphis vs Michigan State prediction
My best bet
Memphis +1 (-110 at bet365)
My analysis
I love the Maui Invitational. Island vibes, an extensive look at some of the nation’s top teams, and nonstop hoops — Feast Week is a treasure for college basketball fans.
Anyway, on to the game.
The Memphis Tigers have an impressive squad. Sure, that may sound obvious after the college basketball world witnessed them defeat UConn a day ago, but it’s true nonetheless.
Guard play is always important in tournaments and the Tigers have two really good ones in PJ Haggerty (22.4 ppg) and Tyrese Hunter (15.8 ppg). Both are playing with a ton of confidence — Haggerty looks like a go-to bucket getter while Hunter is a post-hype sleeper with tons of promise after featuring on a Texas roster last year that was an island of misfit toys.
Colby Rogers (12.6 ppg) took over yesterday when Haggerty fouled out, finishing with 19 points on nine field-goal attempts. Having one lead guard is great, but having three is terrific.
Penny Hardawy’s squad can’t rest too easily after yesterday’s upset as Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans love to play spoiler. The Spartans finished 20-15 a year ago and lost most of the impact contributors from that squad, so the verdict is still out on this year’s collection
Sparty checks in at 40th overall in KenPom, 10 spots below the Tigers. Memphis looks like the slightly better team, according to both the eye test and the numbers, so why is Sparty the slight favorite?
Izzo's team is getting respect whereas Hardaway still has to earn it after his teams have fallen short of their talent level a time or two. Well, there’s a lot to like about this year’s group, especially offensively, and they’re rolling after topping a fearsome UConn team.
Sparty has played one team of consequence, losing to Kansas by eight. That helped its metrics, but Izzo’s squad shot just 34.8% from the field and 12.5% from deep in that game. Memphis, on the other hand, already has a few quality wins (UNLV, San Francisco, not to mention UConn).
Memphis vs Michigan State same-game parlay
Memphis moneyline
Over 153.5
Those friendly Maui rims came into play yesterday as the Memphis vs. UConn, Auburn vs. Iowa State, and UNC vs. Dayton games combined for a whopping 522 points and an average of 174. This isn't going to change overnight.
It was evident yesterday that Memphis has a defensive issue in the low post when it allowed a combined 38 points to UConn’s Tarris Reed and Jaylin Stewart. Dain Dainja is a certified bucket in his own right, but he’s no defensive stalwart, and Moussa Cisse is so thin that he might get blown away by a strong Maui breeze.
Michigan State ranks 29th nationally by converting 64.7% of its chances at the rim (per Hoop-Math), so it stands to take advantage of this weakness. On the flip side, Memphis has three standout scorers at guard and should continue to stay hot given the friendly offensive environment.
Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.
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Memphis vs Michigan State odds
Memphis vs Michigan State live odds
Memphis vs Michigan State opening odds
- Spread: Memphis +1.5 (-110) | Michigan State -1.5 (-110)
- Moneyline: Memphis +100 | Michigan State -120
- Over/Under: Over 150.5 (-110) | Under 150.5 (-110)
Odds courtesy of bet365
Memphis vs Michigan State betting trend to know
Memphis is 5-0 ATS this season. Find more college basketball betting trends for Memphis vs. Michigan State.
How to watch Memphis vs Michigan State
| Location: | Lahaina Civic Center, Maui, HI |
| Date: | Tuesday, 11-26-2024 |
| Tip-off: | 6:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ESPN |
Memphis vs Michigan State key injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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