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Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Chris Beard reacts during the first half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Iowa State Cyclones at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Expert Predictions: Ole Miss Basketball vs. Michigan State Spartans in Sweet 16

Originally posted on Ole Miss Rebels on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Mar 26, 2025 4:30 PM ET

The No. 6 seeded Ole Miss Rebels are Sweet 16 bound with a date against Tom Izzo and the No. 2 seeded Michigan State Spartans locked in for Friday at 6:09 p.m. CT.

Chris Beard and the Rebels took down Iowa State in the Round of 32 behind a balanced attack from top to bottom with contributions coming from multiple players.

"One of our challenges this year has been, when this journey started, making sure that each individual player could be the best version of themselves, but also let's work this as a too many," Beard said on Sunday.

"I think that's one of the stories of our team, is all these guys, they check their egos at the door when they arrived at Oxford, and they're playing for each other."

Now, focus has shifted towards the Sweet 16 with the Spartans in the way of the Rebels punching their ticket to the Elite Eight.

A look into the betting lines for Friday night and the current ESPN Basketball Power Index Prediction.

Preview: No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 2 Michigan State Spartans

The Start Time and How to Watch:

Start Time: 6:09 p.m. CT on Friday, March 28
Channel: CBS
Location: Atlanta (Ga.)

The Current Betting Lines: Ole Miss Rebels vs. Michigan State Spartans

(Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook)

Spread:
- Ole Miss: (+3.5)
- Michigan State: (-3.5)

Moneyline:
- Ole Miss: (+150)
- Michigan State: (-180)

Over/Under: 143 (-110)

The Ole Miss Rebels will enter the clash in Atlanta as 3.5-point underdogs with Vegas favoring Tom Izzo's crew following an impressive Round of 32 victory over the New Mexico Lobos.

I asked Chris Beard about his future at Ole Miss.

Naturally with his background bigger jobs will come calling.

He made it clear that he's just getting started at Ole Miss.

Full chat with @CoachBeard here: https://t.co/LW0ZHUbRM0 @InfSportsNet pic.twitter.com/5fuKSjpbGS
— Zach Gelb (@ZachGelb) March 25, 2025

The Current Prediction: ESPN's BPI Makes the Pick

ESPN BPI Predictor: Michigan State
ESPN BPI Predicted Point Differential: 3.5
ESPN BPI Win Probability (Iowa State): 64.5%
ESPN BPI Win Probability (Ole Miss): 35.5%

What is the ESPN Basketball Power Index?

"The College Basketball Power Index (BPI) is a measure of team strength that is meant to be the best predictor of performance going forward. BPI represents how many points above or below average a team is," according to ESPN.

"Strength of Record (SOR) is a measure of team accomplishment based on how difficult a team's W-L record is to achieve. Game predictions account for opponent strength, pace of play, site, travel distance, day's rest and altitude, and are used to simulate the season 10,000 times to produce season projections. Numbers update daily."

Sean Pedulla's Thoughts: Trusting the Coaching Staff

“I think it’s just their confidence in their own work,” Pedulla said. “They put in so much time. Sleepless nights and just studying film and getting a game plan together that is going to be clear and concise that we’re all going to follow. He did say get us to Iowa State and they’d take care of us. They gave us a great plan and we followed it, we executed it and we got the job done.”