Michigan State basketball is back in the NCAA Tournament, and it’ll take arguably one of Tom Izzo’s best coaching jobs to reach another Final Four this year.
The Spartans bowed out early in the Big Ten Tournament and suffered the punishment of that when the NCAA Tournament bracket was released on Sunday. Michigan State was passed by Purdue on Sunday, and landed as the No. 3 seed in the East Region. The Spartans will open the NCAA Tournament against No. 14 seed North Dakota State on Thursday in Buffalo, N.Y.
With the bracket set in place, here are a few of my initial takeaways on the NCAA Tournament draw for the Spartans:
MSU got what it deserved after UCLA loss
Obviously, I didn’t want to see the Spartans drop from the No. 2 seed and a much more favorable draw in the West Region. But I’d be lying if I said they didn’t deserve to be punished for that poor outing against the Bruins on Friday.
Michigan State losing its Big Ten Tournament opener combined with Purdue winning four games in four days to take the tournament crown ultimately was the reason why the Spartans landed as the No. 3 seed in the East Region. It’s only one seed line but it’s a notable difference when you look at the potential path to a Final Four and the Spartans now ending up in the hardest region in the field.
Michigan State came into this weekend probably needing just one win to seal up a No. 2 seed but they didn’t get the job done, and now will have to pay the punishment with a harder draw. I wish it was different but it is what it is and now it’s time to move on to what is ahead.
Spartans landed in brutally tough, but fun, region
If you are looking for star power and blue blood programs, then look no further than the East Region.
The top eight seeds in the Big Ten read as the following: No. 1 Duke, No. 2 UConn, No. 3 Michigan State, No. 4 Kansas, No. 5 St. John’s, No. 6 Louisville. No. 7 UCLA and No. 8 Ohio State. That’s a lot of programs and head coaches that have reached Final Fours and won national championships.
Should Michigan State get past the Bison in the opening round, there is a legit possibility they’ll need to beat three teams in a row that were all ranked in the top 10 national for extended periods of the season. That would include Louisville in the second round, UConn in the Sweet 16 and Duke (or maybe Kansas or St. John’s) in the Elite Eight. That’s obviously a long ways away from right now, but it simply shows how difficult it’ll be to come out of this region.
First weekend sets up nicely at least for MSU
While I’ve pointed out the draw isn’t ideal for the Spartans and I would much rather trade places with Purdue as the No. 2 seed in the West Region, I do still like Michigan State’s chances of getting out of the first weekend and back to the Sweet 16.
The Spartans are listed as a near 20 point favorite over North Dakota State in the first round so as long as they play up to their standard, we should see them move on to the second round. From there, Michigan State will see either Louisville or No. 11 seed South Florida out of the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls would be a better matchup for Michigan State but I also think the Spartans would pair well with Louisville as well as long as the Spartans defend the three-point line better than they have in recent weeks. The Cardinals also could be shorthanded if Mikel Brown is unable to return for the NCAA Tournament.
Overall, it’s not going to be easy but I’m personally expecting them to make it to the Sweet 16 based on this draw and would be disappointed if they can’t make it out of the first weekend.
Early prediction on how far Spartans go in NCAA Tournament
As I stated a moment ago, I like Michigan State to get out of the first weekend and reach a second straight Sweet 16. But that is where I think the road comes to an end against UConn.
Michigan State is good enough to beat everyone in their region and make it to the Final Four. The question is consistency, though, and being able to get that out of them in four consecutive games. I’m not confident in saying that they will and I see the road coming to an end in the Sweet 16 for the Spartans this year.
This is an extremely early in the research process prediction so I may change my mind as we get closer to tipping off the tournament later this week. But that’s where I currently stand a few hours after the bracket has been revealed.
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Three takeaways on Michigan State basketball’s draw in NCAA Tournament