UCONN vs Michigan St. Prediction & Picks - NCAA Basketball

Prediction published on 3/27/26, 6:11 PM  by Travis Pulver | Modified on 4/17/26 at 5:34 AM in NCAA Basketball Picks

The Sweet 16 rolls on tonight with the Michigan State Spartans taking on the UConn Huskies Friday night at the Capitol One Arena in Washington, D.C. Tipoff for this Big Ten vs. Big East battle is scheduled for 9:45 p.m. EST. Fans can follow the action on CBS.

Michigan State had a relatively easy time against its first-round opponent, North Dakota State, winning 92-67. But their second-round game against Louisville was a bit more challenging. The Cardinals briefly held a small lead early on, but it was quickly erased, and Michigan State led the rest of the way. Louisville got within striking distance several times but couldn’t take the lead. Sparty went on to win 77-69. As for UConn, the Huskies needed a confidence boost after the 20-point beatdown St. John’s gave them in the Big East Conference Tournament finals (72-52). It was a little more challenging than it should have been to get past Furman in the first round (82-71). But they demolished UCLA in the second round, 73-57.

The winner of this game will move on to the Elite 8 to battle for a spot in the Final Four against the Big Ten’s Iowa Hawkeyes.