It wasn’t long ago when the Michigan State Spartans were staring at a 10-9 record and were on the outside looking in of the NCAA Tournament. A 5-2 stretch that included three wins over opponents ranked in the top five has the Spartans at 15-11 and poised for their 23 straight tourney appearance.
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Michigan State will open Big Ten Tournament play on Thursday against Maryland, needing one more win to feel certain about an NCAA Tournament berth.
A loss could put MSU back on the bubble, but missing the tournament feels unlikely at this point with its resume.
As conference tournaments begin — the Big Ten opens this evening — now is a good time to look at where everything stands in the eyes of bracketology.