Big 10 Games Featured in Sunday's Slate of Plays

Somedays it just doesn't really go your way. The games I chose to write about yesterday didn't pan out the way I expected. It happens, but it was disappointing after such a strong start to the tournament. I'm looking to get back to the winning ways today with these plays, and think that I've picked out a few winners.

Michigan State vs. Marquette, 5:15 ET

I mentioned in my first post about Michigan State from two days ago that I really don't make it a habit of going against Tom Izzo. I stand by that statement, but today is one of those days that I do feel comfortable taking his opponent. Michigan State has had a bit of a roller-coaster season. They started kind of under the radar then competed and even beat some ranked opponents, before they finally took more ups and downs during the conference play. Marquette put together one of the better seasons I can remember for their school. They are currently on a 10-game winning streak and aside from a few close calls against St. Johns and UConn, they've been pretty dominant during this stretch. I think that Marquette covers the -3 spread on the game today, but I'll actually start with how they could lose. If Michigan State's pace, and more importantly, rebounding goes their way, Marquette will lose. Michigan State cleaning the glass and limiting possessions will make it hard for the Golden Eagles to get a run. However, I think Marquette probably will be close enough on the boards so that the disparity won't be too high. I also think they are more capable to force Michigan State into turnovers which can lead to easy baskets. I'll back the Golden Eagles -3 here.

Miami vs. Indiana, 8:40 ET

I think this might be the best basketball game we get today - which is hard to predict considering how close a lot of these games are and how many upsets occur. We have two evenly matched-teams that both have the potential to make a solid enough run in this tournament. I thought Miami had a chance to with the ACC Conference Tournament, and I thought Indiana would win the Big 10 Conference Tournament, so maybe I'm just wrong on them or have them too high in my ranks. Nonetheless what matters is what happens today. If Indiana wins this game it will be because their stud forward Trayce Jackson-Davis takes over the game and dominates Miami. If Miami wins, it is because their frontcourt limits the Hoosiers and controls the glass. It also will be because their guards are talented enough to hit some big shots. To me this game will end up coming down to good defense, and I do think that Indiana wins this game. But, my play in this one is actually on the total. On the season, both combine to average over 150 points per game. They also combine to average 116 points allowed per game. That's a pretty steep drop. I'll take the under for the game as I think we see a more tightly contested contest. Under 145.5 is the play for me.

Some other ones that I'm considering is taking the points with FDU. Florida Atlantic played well enough to beat Memphis, and no 16 seed has won two games in the tournament, but 15.5 points seems like it is doable to cover in this one. Most of the other totals have moved too much for me to feel comfortable sharing them so I'll pass on everything else for the day.

For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on Twitter: @futureprez2024