Teams that find themselves in familiar territory clash in a 2023 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 East Region matchup when the seventh-seeded Michigan State Spartans square off with the Kansas State Wildcats on Thursday. The Spartans (21-12, 11-8 Big Ten), who are making their 21st Sweet 16 appearance, are looking to reach the Elite Eight for the 15th time and first since 2019. The Wildcats (25-9, 11-7 Big 12), who are making their 18th Sweet 16, will try for their 14th Elite Eight appearance. Kansas State was the national runner-up in 1951, while Michigan State has won two national titles -- 1979 and 2000 -- and finished second in 2009.

The game at Madison Square Garden in New York will tip off at 6:30 p.m. ET. The Spartans are favored by 1 point in the latest Michigan State vs. Kansas State odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over/under for total points scored is 138. (See up-to-date odds for every game this week on our college basketball odds page.)

Before making any Michigan State vs. Kansas State picks, or NCAA Tournament selections, you need to check out the college basketball predictions from the SportsLine Projection Model.

The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every Div. I college basketball game 10,000 times. The model enters the 2023 NCAA Tournament 79-53 on all-top rated college basketball picks this season, returning nearly $1,300 for $100 players. Anybody who has followed the model has seen HUGE returns!

The model knows Kansas State senior guard Markquis Nowell is coming off a monster performance in Sunday's second-round win over Kentucky. In that game, he scored 27 points and dished out nine assists as the Wildcats earned a 75-69 win. Nowell was also impressive in the first-round 77-65 win over Montana State, scoring 17 points, dishing out 14 assists, grabbing six rebounds and making three steals in 37 minutes of action. In 34 games, all starts, he is averaging 17.1 points, 7.8 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game.

But the model also knows Michigan State senior guard Tyson Walker was dominant in Sunday's second-round 69-60 upset win over Marquette. For the 11th consecutive game, Walker reached double-figure scoring, pouring in 23 points, while grabbing two rebounds and dishing out two assists. He had 12 points, four assists and three rebounds in Friday's 72-62 first-round win over USC. In 33 games, all starts, Walker is averaging 14.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists. He is connecting on 46.2% of his field goals, including 41.7% from 3-point range, and 78.6% from the free-throw line.

Now, the model has set its sights on Michigan State vs. Kansas State. We can tell you the model is leaning Over on the point total, and it also says one side of the spread hits in over 50% of simulations! You ABSOLUTELY need to see the model before locking in any college basketball picks.

Who wins Michigan State vs. Kansas State? And which side of the spread covers over 50% of the time? ... Join SportsLine right now to find out which side of the Michigan State vs. Kansas State spread you should be all over Thursday, all from the model on a roll on college basketball picks!