Tag: The Detroit News

MSU-UCLA most watched First Four matchup in NCAA Tournament history

If the committee primarily put the Spartans in the First Four due to raising TV ratings, then their wish came true.

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If the committee primarily put the Spartans in the First Four due to raising TV ratings, then their wish came true.

Despite the game not tipping off until after 10 p.m. ET on Thursday night, the matchup between Michigan State and UCLA was the most-watched First Four game in NCAA Tournament history. The First Four began in 2011.

Many believed — and the metrics also supported — that Michigan State shouldn’t have been in the First Four and that the committee placed them in that game against UCLA to simply boost TV ratings. That argument is a bit harder to make since the Spartans blew a 14-point lead and lost to the Bruins, but the TV numbers support the case as well.

According to Tony Paul of The Detroit News, Michigan State-UCLA drew 3.3 million viewers at its peak and overall there 7.6 million viewers for the four First Four games.

Click here to read the rest of the story from Paul.

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REPORT: Michigan State Basketball trying to add midweek game vs. Central Michigan

Tony Paul of The Detroit News is reporting MSU is working to schedule a game with Central Michigan this week on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

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The Spartans are reportedly looking to add yet another in-state opponent to their non-conference schedule.

Tony Paul of The Detroit News tweeted late on Sunday that Michigan State is working to schedule a non-conference game with Central Michigan this week on either Tuesday or Wednesday. This, of course, would be to replace Virginia after the Cavaliers had to cancel their game with MSU last week due to COVID-19.

Should this game in fact get scheduled, this would mark the fifth in-state non-conference opponent for MSU and complete playing every Division I basketball team from Michigan. The Spartans have already played Detroit Mercy, Eastern Michigan, Oakland and Western Michigan and the only Michigan-based team left to add would be Central Michigan.

Central Michigan is 2-3 on the season with wins against Western Illinois and Valparaiso in their last two games. The Chippewas are scheduled to play on Monday against St. Francis (Ill.), but don’t return to the floor until Friday, so a Wednesday evening meeting between MSU and Central Michigan could work out nicely.

Keep an eye out for any type of formal announcement in the next few days. MSU still has one more game to add so I fully anticipate that will occur this week, thus making an official announcement very likely to come on Monday or Tuesday.

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