Michigan State basketball is once again listed as a sizable favorite in a non-conference matchup — this time against East Carolina in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Classic. So does Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal think they’ll take care of business on Tuesday?
The Spartans head to Fort Myers, Fla. with a perfect 5-0 record on the year, and looking for its best start to a season in a long time. Standing in front of that goal is the East Carolina Pirates, who will be one of two opponents the Spartans will face in the Sunshine State this week — the other being North Carolina on Thanksgiving.
East Carolina is off to a slow start this year, with a record of 2-3 overall and losses in three of their last four games. They’ll need an improved performance to hang with the Spartans on Tuesday, who are favored by 23 1/2 points, according to FanDuel.
So does Couch believe the Spartans will stay unbeaten on the year with a win over East Carolina on Tuesday in Fort Myers? Yes he does, and it sounds like he anticipates this one to be lopsided too — here’s a bit of his analysis and reasoning:
“East Carolina plays in a better league than Detroit and is coming off a decent season in the AAC, with several key players returning. But I don’t know that the Pirates are any better than the Titans right now, given their early season performances. East Carolina, as it’s playing, is a notch below Colgate, San Jose State and Bowling Green (MSU’s first exhibition opponent). So it’s hard to imagine this being a competitive game.”
You’ll need to read the full article on the Lansing State Journal to see his official breakdown and score prediction.
Click on the post below to read the complete breakdown and prediction from Couch for this matchup between Michigan State and East Carolina.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU-East Carolina Prediction, Matchup Analysis from LSJ’s Graham Couch
Reporting by Robert Bondy, Spartans Wire / Spartans Wire
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