MSU basketball continues its path to coach Tom Izzo's 28th straight NCAA Tournament bid. Here's what seed Spartans are in bracketology projections.
By this point next week, Michigan State basketball will pass the midpoint of the 20-game Big Ten season. And the 10th-ranked Spartans will know how they measure up against No. 2 Michigan.
But before then, MSU (18-2, 8-1 Big Ten) must venture to the East Coast to face Rutgers on Tuesday, Jan. 27. That will close out the first half and put Tom Izzo one step closer to a 28th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance.
The Spartans’ win streak is six, outscoring foes by 17.4 points through nine league games. Take out the lone 58-56 loss to still-perfect No. 7 Nebraska, and MSU has overwhelmed opponents, 77.9-58 in its eight conference victories.
But as Izzo said after Saturday’s 91-48 blowout of the Terrapins: “It gets tougher now.” Starting with the first of two second-half rivalry matchups with the Wolverines, after the Spartans venture into the hostile confines of the always-dangerous Rutgers Athletic Center.
Each week, the Free Press will take a look at MSU's résumé and assess how it stacks up to the competition.
Michigan State basketball schedule this week
- Tuesday: at Rutgers, 6:30 p.m., FS1.
- Friday: vs. Michigan, 8 p.m., Fox.
Michigan State basketball bracketology for NCAA Tournament
Michigan State basketball bracketology projections
- CBS: 3-seed in South, vs. Troy (updated Jan. 25).
- On3: 3-seed in Midwest, vs. Troy (updated Jan. 25).
- Bracket Matrix: 3-seed (updated Jan. 24).
- Bleacher Report: 3-seed in Midwest, vs. Wright State (updated Jan. 20).
- ESPN: 3-seed in West, vs. Winthrop (updated Jan. 23).
- Fox Sports: 3-seed in South, Winthrop (updated Jan. 20).
- The Athletic: 3-seed in West, vs. Wright State (updated Jan. 20).
- USA TODAY: 3-seed in West, vs. Troy (updated Jan. 15).
Michigan State basketball NET rankings: No. 10 (Last week: No. 12)
All rankings entering Sunday’s games.
- Quad 1 record: 5-2
- Quad 2 record: 5-0
- Quad 3 record: 3-0
- Quad 4 record: 5-0
KenPom rankings: No. 6 (Last week: No. 10)
All rankings entering Sunday’s games.
- Offensive efficiency: No. 48
- Defensive efficiency: No. 1
How NCAA Tournament committee selects at-large teams
There are several criteria the selection committee looks at in order to make its assessment in addition to subjective assessments such as the “eyeball test.” Among them:
- Record: The team's overall record, conference record and nonconference record
- Strength of schedule: The strength of the opponents the team played against
- Head-to-head results: The results of games between the teams being compared
- Conference championships: Whether a conference championship was won in the regular season or tournament
- Common opponents: The results of games against common opponents
- Adjusted Net Efficiency (NET): The NCAA's preferred metric measuring a team's overall performance during the regular season
- Team Value Index: A results-oriented component of the NET that ranks teams based on who they beat and where they played
- Rating Percentage Index (RPI): A formula that ranks teams using a team's winning percentage, opponents' success and opponents' strength of schedule
MSU basketball scores last week
Jan. 20: 81-60 win at Oregon – Despite a sluggish start and a tougher-than-anticipated first 27 minutes against their injury-hampered host, the Spartans dispatched the Ducks with a 30-13 rally over the final 13-plus minutes to pull away to their fifth straight win, all by double digits. Carson Cooper flashed low-post moves with midrange shooting en route to a career-high 19 points and four blocks to go with his seven rebounds, while Coen Carr made a career-high three 3-pointers to finish with 15 points and eight boards.
Jan. 24: 91-48 win over Maryland – The Spartans made it six straight wins by deshelling the Terrapins by 43 points, their second-largest margin of victory in a Big Ten game in program history. The only bigger blowout was the 51-point spread in MSU’s 114-63 win over Michigan on March 4, 2000 – an important date, because of Mateen Cleaves’ school record 20 assists set in that memorable victory. On Saturday, Jeremy Fears Jr. delivered the most assists in a game by a Spartan since Cleaves’ feat, with his career-high 17 tying him with Gary Ganakas (against Rochester in 1972) for the second-most in a game. Fears also led the Spartans with 17 points, while other four starters – Cooper, Carr, Jaxon Kohler and Divine Ugochukwu – combined for 46 points and 22 rebounds. Jordan Scott, Cam Ward and Kur Teng combined for 23 points and seven rebounds off the bench as MSU equaled last year’s 18-2 start and improved to 8-1 in the Big Ten.
Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State basketball bracketology seed, projections
Category: General Sports
