Michigan State vs. Toledo: Three Best Bets for Tonight

Last Game: 0-3

Overall Record: 0-3

I wasn't sold that the Spartans would be able to come out and fire on all cylinders in their season opener. I was expecting more of what we saw in last year's season opener, when Michigan State scored 81 points. However, this year's Michigan State team is different.

The Spartans scored 96 points, easily going over the 89.5-point team total I recommended staying under. I also told you to take Quinnipiac with the 32.5-point spread, but Michigan State won by 37. Lastly, I recommended taking the under on 149.5 total points, but the two teams combined for 155.

In other words, I was swept by the books.

However, after starting this low, there's only one place to go.

This game might be a bit closer than the Spartans' 96-59 win in their season opener. Although Michigan State is favored by nearly 30 points, this game could be tightly contested, or it could turn into a blowout from the opening tip.

Toledo lost its first game by an agonizing one-point margin to Arkansas State, 71-70. Just like Michigan State, the Rockets are also coming off a two-day turnaround. However, unlike the Spartans, Toledo now has to go on the road to one of the toughest places to play in all of sports to face the No. 6 Spartans.

Here are three bets I'm hammering tonight as I look to get back on the winning side of things.

The Spartans shot an eye-popping 58.1% from the field in their first game, something Michigan State struggled to do consistently throughout much of last season.

They took an early lead thanks to some premier three-point shooting, although that production slowed down a bit as the game went on. Michigan State finished with nine made three-pointers while shooting 39.1% from beyond the arc.

If the early shooting and three-point production continue, the Spartans truly could be a top-six team in the nation. Offense has traditionally been what slowed Michigan State down, with Tom Izzo consistently putting together one of the better defensive teams in the country.

The Spartans also shot just 57.7% from the free-throw line in their season opener. I expect Izzo to make sure his players get plenty of free-throw practice over the last two days, and improved production at the charity stripe should help Michigan State add even more points.

In the season opener, Jasiah Jervis attempted five three-pointers. He only connected on one of those five shots, but it proved that one of the highest-rated recruits to join the Spartans in quite some time has no problem letting the shots fly.

I expect him to have a better feel for the game in his second appearance in a Michigan State uniform. I also expect him to maintain his starting role and continue taking shots from beyond the arc.

Jervis' over 1.5 three-pointers made is currently listed at +110.

I'd also recommend laddering this bet up to three three-pointers made at +350 for an opportunity at an even bigger payout.

Vegas has Jeremy Fears Jr. listed at over 9.5 assists at just -120. Fears finished the season opener with 11 assists after setting Michigan State's single-season assists record last year.

Fears is on a mission. Although he hasn't personally talked about it, you can tell he's looking to break the Big Ten's single-season assists record, which was set by Purdue's Braden Smith just last year.

Smith overtook Fears after playing an additional game in the NCAA Tournament, ultimately finishing 17 assists ahead of the Spartans' point guard.

Michigan State's offense was rolling in the season opener, and I expect it to keep rolling against Toledo. The body follows the head, and Fears is the head of this Spartans squad.

He will continue dishing out the ball, and if the Spartans' offense performs anywhere near the level it did in the opener, Fears should have another opportunity to reach double-digit assists.