2021 NCAA Tournament: Best bets for all 4 Opening Round games

East Region: No. 11 UCLA Bruins (19-7) vs. No.11 Michigan State Spartans (15-12)

Opening Line: Michigan State -1 Over/ Under 137.5

Michigan State and UCLA are meeting just for the second time in the NCAA Tournament. UCLA, which won the Tournament game back in 2011, leads the all-time series 6-4 though MSU has won the previous two meetings (2018, 2019). The Bruins are playing in an opening-round game for the second time, while this is the first time that the Spartans will play in a preliminary contest.

Michigan State, which is playing in its 23rd straight NCAA Tournament and 34th overall, has lost three of its last five games. The Spartans are an extremely talented, deep, and well-balanced team — with victories over Michigan, Illinois, and Ohio State. However, the Spartans are very flawed as they are not a good shooting team and they do not force many turnovers, and they foul a lot.

Aaron Henry leads the offensive attack and is one of two D-I players averaging at least 15.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 blocks per game. Joey Hauser, Joshua Langford, and Rocket Watts are the other key contributors.

UCLA, which is on a four-game skid, is in the NCAA Tournament for the 50th time. The Bruins have dealt with a few key season-ending injuries to Chris Smith and Jalen Hill. The Bruins are excellent on the offensive end but are merely average on the other end. They struggle with creating turnovers, defending the 3-point line, and protecting the rim.

Johnny Juzang leads a well-balanced guard-oriented lineup with 14.0 points and 4.1 rebounds. Jaime Jaquez, Tyger Campbell, Jules Bernard, and Cody Riley are the other top contributors.

Pick: The line has increased from a single point to Michigan State by -2. I like the MSU in this one as the Spartans have some big wins late, and the Bruins are trending in the wrong direction. The Spartans are a tad bit better defensively and definitely more physical.

MSU is also deeper and is more experienced than UCLA. Plus, I believe that Henry, Hauser, and Gabe Brown will control the paint and the boards. Michigan State is 5-5 ATS in its last 10 games, and UCLA is 3-11 ATS in its last 14 contests.

Over/Under: The over/under has dropped two points to 135, and I believe that this fact is pretty telling in that the game is going to be a pretty defensive-oriented and slow-paced game as neither team is in too much of a  hurry. Michigan State wins 68-64.