In the second round of the 2025 NCAA Tournament, we get a great matchup of Michigan State vs New Mexico. The Spartans advanced to the second round after defeating Bryant, while the Lobos took down Marquette.
Below, we will preview this March Madness college basketball game, giving the Michigan State vs New Mexico overview, trends and our expert pick! Which school will win and keep their hopes of winning the championship trophy alive?
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Michigan State vs New Mexico Prediction and March Madness Expert Picks
2025 NCAA Tournament
No. 2 Michigan State Spartans (28-6) vs. No. 10 New Mexico Lobos (27-7)
Date: Sunday, March 23, 2025
Time: 8:40 PM EST
Venue: Rocket Arena — Cleveland, OH
Coverage: TNT
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Michigan State vs New Mexico March Madness Odds
All college basketball betting odds for Michigan State vs New Mexico can be found at BetUS Sportsbook.
Moneyline: MSU: (-330) | NM: (+270)
Point Spread: MSU: -7.5 (-110) | NM: +7.5 (-110)
Total: 148.5 — Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
KenPom Rankings | Bracketology
KenPom Rankings are from KenPom.com
| Team | Rk | AdjO | AdjD | AdjT |
| Michigan State | 7 | 118.6 (24) | 90.2 (5) | 67.8 (149) |
| New Mexico | 41 | 112.7 (75) | 95.0 (19) | 72.6 (6) |
Michigan State vs New Mexico College Basketball Trends
- Michigan State is 4-1 in its last five games.
- New Mexico is 4-1 in its last five games.
- Michigan State is 10-2 in non-conference play this season.
- New Mexico is 9-3 in non-conference play this season.
- Michigan State is 5-4 in NCAA Tournament games since 2020.
- New Mexico is 1-1 in NCAA Tournament games since 2020.
Michigan State vs New Mexico Prediction | March Madness Expert Picks
Michigan State took care of business with a pretty easy matchup against Bryant. They will not have as easy of a time with a New Mexico State team that played very well against Marquette in the first round. Tom Izzo’s march back to another Final Four continues, as Richard Pitino is looking to avenge his father’s loss at the hands of Arkansas.
As stated before, Michigan State did not have a tough time in their first-round matchup, beating Bryant by 25 points. The Spartans found success everywhere on offense in the matchup, but seeing 40 points in the paint is certainly encouraging moving forward. Coen Carr came off the bench and provided a solid spark, scoring 18 points, reeling in nine rebounds and swatting four shots. Seeing Carr come off the bench, as well as 14 points from Tre Holloman, proves that Michigan State’s depth is something to be feared. With New Mexico’s strong defense, Jase Richardson must be at his best, which is likely. Richardson’s athletic ability and sweet three-point stroke will have the Lobos’ defense looking for answers the entire game.
As for New Mexico, they won a hard-fought battle against Marquette, with superstar Donovan Dent dropping 21 points. Dent will struggle to recreate that magic against Michigan State with the Spartans’ fifth-ranked defense. We saw Nelly Junior Joseph find success in the paint in the first round and that will be the focus again for the Lobos. For Dent to recreate the 21-point performance, the paint must be exploited by Joseph. Outside of these two, it is hard to find an x-factor that will bring New Mexico to the top. That is what makes March, March though — who is the guy that nobody knows who can lead the charge? Either way, Michigan State is too good of a team to falter in a spot like this.
For our Michigan State vs New Mexico prediction, we are picking the Michigan State Spartans to win and move on in the NCAA Tournament.
