Tag: march madness

Michigan State Basketball officially makes NCAA Tournament, will face UCLA in 11-seed play-in game

Michigan State has officially made the NCAA Tournament as a First Four team.

Michigan State Basketball had one of the most stressful, exciting couple of weeks in program history, knocking off three top-5 teams on their way to officially make the NCAA Tournament. It was announced on Sunday that the Spartans will be a First Four team, playing UCLA in a play-in game for the right to be a No. 11 seed in the Tournament.

If MSU is able to beat UCLA on Thursday, they will face BYU on Saturday.

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Michigan State now extends its NCAA Tournament streak to 23 straight seasons. With Duke out of March Madness for COVID-19 reasons, MSU now owns the second-best active NCAA Tournament streak.

Michigan State is in the East region, which has Michigan as a No. 1 seed. If MSU is able to advance, they could face No. 2 Alabama or potentially a rematch with No. 7 seed Maryland.

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BREAKING: Alabama Basketball lands No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament

The Alabama Men’s Basketball team landed a No. 2 for the upcoming NCAA Tournament, as it was revealed on the March Madness Selection Show.

Alabama Basketball has produced its most impressive basketball season in some time. A 24-6 record included a SEC regular season championship, as well as a SEC Championship Game victory over LSU on Sunday.

Following the 80-79 thriller, the March Madness Selection Show got underway on CBS, and we soon found out that the Crimson Tide is a No. 2 seed heading into the NCAA Tournament next weekend. They’ll be taking on Iona, a No. 15 seed with a 12-5 record in the East Region.

Iona is coached by former Louisville and Kentucky head coach Rick Pitino.

Stay tuned for more Alabama basketball updates from Roll Tide Wire, part of the USA TODAY Sports College Wire network!

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Potential Cinderellas you need to know this March Madness

SportsPulse: It’s time to fill out your bracket and our college basketball guru Scott Gleeson is here to provide you four potential Cinderellas that will either bust your bracket or help you rise above the rest.

SportsPulse: It’s time to fill out your bracket and our college basketball guru Scott Gleeson is here to provide you four potential Cinderellas that will either bust your bracket or help you rise above the rest.

March Madness: Dos and Don’ts when filling out your bracket

SportsPulse: Coming off a year with no NCAA basketball tournament, it might be good to get a refresher on how to set the perfect bracket and Mackenzie Salmon is here to help.

SportsPulse: Coming off a year with no NCAA basketball tournament, it might be good to get a refresher on how to set the perfect bracket and Mackenzie Salmon is here to help.

Where Michigan State stands on the morning of Selection Sunday

While it’s not guaranteed the Spartans are dancing, things do seem to be pointing in that direction.

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In most years, Michigan State is safely in the field and Selection Sunday is more about getting a good draw for a run in the NCAA Tournament. This year, fans are just crossing their fingers that they’ll just be part of March Madness.

While it’s not guaranteed the Spartans are dancing, things do seem to be pointing in that direction — according to numerous bracket projection experts.

Joe Lunardi of ESPN currently has Michigan State as one of the final teams to make the tournament and avoid playing in the “First Four” play-in games. The Spartans are currently listed as a No. 11 seed playing against USC in the opening round of Lunardi’s most up-to-date bracket.

Shelby Mast and Scott Gleeson of USA TODAY have the Spartans in a similar spot as Lunardi in their final projection that came out on Sunday morning. Michigan State is listed as a No. 11 seed playing Clemson in this projection from Mast and Gleeson.

CLICK HERE TO SEE USA TODAY BRACKET PROJECTION

Jerry Palm of CBS Sports is a little higher on the Spartans than ESPN and USA TODAY, with Michigan State sitting as a No. 10 seed in his most recent bracket projection that came out on Sunday morning. The Spartans are currently slated to play Oregon in Palm’s most recent projection.

One final indication that the Spartans will be dancing is from the Bracket Matrix — a tool that compiles bracket projections and provides an average seed and odds of making the NCAA Tournament. As of this morning, the Bracket Matrix had the Spartans sitting as the first 11 seed ahead of fellow bubble teams like UCLA, Wichita State, Louisville, Drake and Syracuse.

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So what does all of this mean? Well, Spartans fans should feel pretty good about hearing Michigan State’s name called today during CBS’ Selection Show at 6 p.m. ET. However, we need to keep in mind that these are all just projections and that the selection committee could have a completely different view of the Spartans. So nothing is guaranteed at this point but at least we can feel relatively good about their chances at making a 23rd straight NCAA Tournament.

Either way, we’ll know soon enough.

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Michigan State still safely in NCAA Tournament in latest ESPN Bracketology

MSU didn’t play on Friday but not much changed for the Spartans as far as their NCAA Tournament standing goes — if anything, it improved.

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Michigan State didn’t play on Friday but not much changed for the Spartans as far as their NCAA Tournament standing goes — if anything, it improved.

The Spartans benefited from a number of bubble teams losing in their conference tournaments on Friday, and because of that, they remain as a No. 11 seed and safely in the NCAA Tournament of ESPN’s latest Bracketology from Joe Lunardi. Lunardi has the Spartans two spots above the “Last Four In” currently, and facing No. 6 seed BYU in the opening round.

There are a number of bubble games on Saturday that could affect the Spartans’ but based on where Lunardi currently has Michigan State, it seems unlikely they’ll drop out of the field at this point. Things can of course change, but Michigan State should feel pretty comfortable at this point.

Selection Sunday is tomorrow with the annual selection show on CBS starting at 6 p.m. ET. We’ll then know the Spartans’ match-up in the NCAA Tournament — or if their lengthy March Madness streak ends.

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Bubble Watch: Five games on Saturday with bubble implications for MSU

Let’s take a look at a handful of important games that could either support or hurt Michigan State’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament.

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Michigan State didn’t play on Friday, but it still was a really good day for the Spartans and their NCAA Tournament odds.

A number of fellow bubble teams were on the court in conference tournaments on Friday, and a good chunk of those bubble teams lost, including Seton Hall, Ole Miss, SMU and Colorado State. All of these teams will now sweat it out on Selection Sunday and that’s good news for the Spartans, who are projected safely ahead of these squads.

Friday was a good bubble day for Michigan State, and I now feel more comfortable with the Spartans making the big dance this morning than I did yesterday. But there’s still a handful of games that could impact Michigan State’s standing on the bubble and seeding line on Saturday. Let’s take a look at those games and who you should be rooting for:

Bubble Watch: Five Games on Friday with Bubble Implications for MSU

Let’s take a look at a handful of important games that could either support or hurt Michigan State’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament.

Sadly, Michigan State will not be playing on Friday after a lackluster performance in their Big Ten Tournament opener on Thursday. The Spartans fell to Maryland, 68-57, in their lone Big Ten Tournament game and will now have to wait until Selection Sunday to know if they’re dancing or not.

Current reports from Andy Katz and Joe Lunardi suggest the Spartans are safely into the field, but a win on Thursday would have really secured their spot.

With the Spartans not playing any more games this weekend, let’s take a look at a handful of important games that could either support or hurt Michigan State’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament.