NCAA Tournament March Madness

#9 Michigan St

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Projected seed: 3

Michigan State’s résumé looks like a high seed because it is built on an elite defense and landmark victories that include neutral-site wins over Kentucky and North Carolina along with a statement home triumph over Arkansas and road wins at Washington and Oregon that show the team can perform in hostile environments. The profile also features convincing conference wins that speak to consistency, but it is marred by a home loss to Duke and a road setback at Nebraska which expose offensive limitations and prevent clear separation from the next tier. Upcoming games against Michigan, Purdue, UCLA and Ohio St present obvious chances to cement or diminish that standing and a string of strong results in those venues would validate placement among the tournament’s top teams while more slip-ups would leave too many questions about balance and resilience.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/3Colgate192W80-69
11/8Arkansas21W69-66
11/13San Jose St250W79-60
11/18(N)Kentucky25W83-66
11/21Detroit285W84-56
11/25(N)East Carolina280W89-56
11/27(N)North Carolina33W74-58
12/2Iowa20W71-52
12/6Duke3L66-60
12/13@Penn St118W76-72
12/16Toledo161W92-69
12/20(N)Oakland129W79-70
12/29Cornell187W114-97
1/2@Nebraska13L58-56
1/5USC51W80-51
1/8Northwestern61W76-66
1/13Indiana38W81-60
1/17@Washington50W80-63
1/20@Oregon90W68-52
1/24Maryland11597%
1/27@Rutgers14293%
1/30Michigan146%
2/4@Minnesota8383%
2/7Illinois860%
2/13@Wisconsin4068%
2/17UCLA3985%
2/22Ohio St3583%
2/26@Purdue637%
3/1@Indiana3867%
3/5Rutgers14298%
3/8@Michigan126%