Where Michigan State stands in latest NCAA projections ahead of Big Ten Tournament
Michigan State will battle Maryland in a second round battle in the Big Ten Tournament this evening between the conference's seventh- and tenth-seeds.
The Spartans have assured an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament, but where are they projected to land in the field of 68?
ESPN: Joe Lunardi projects Michigan State as the 8-seed in the South Regional bracket. In this projection, the Spartans are matched up with 9-seed San Francisco.
Bleacher Report: Michigan State is once again an 8-seed here, but located in the West Region with a matchup against 9-seed San Diego State.
Sporting News: We're detecting a theme here. The Spartans are once again labeled an 8-seed in this projection. "Michigan State easily could be up a line, but its late-season slide cannot be ignored," writer Bill Bender said.
On3 Sports: Michigan State is listed as the top 8-seed here, which means they have a chance to move up with a strong showing in the Big Ten Tournament. On3 Sports' Eric Prisbell writes, "This is Tom Izzo’s best month of the year, but does he have the team this season to make one of his patented postseason runs? If the Spartans beat Maryland on Thursday night, Wisconsin is next."
CBS Sports: 8-seed Michigan State is once again matched up with 9-seed San Diego State here, but CBS has this matchup taking place in the East Region. The Spartans are listed as the top 8-seed in this projection as well.
Bracket Matrix: Out of 123 projections, the Spartans average seeding is 7.99 according to Bracket Matrix. Unsurprisingly, Michigan State appears as an 8-seed the most (85 times), while also being projected as a 7-seed (21 times), 9-seed (12), 10-seed (2), 11-seed (2) and 6-seed (1).
What It Means
Michigan State is firmly in the field of play, and an 8-seed is the consensus projection right now for the Spartans. A win today over Maryland likely doesn't help that projection, but a loss won't have much of an effect either. Should Michigan State get wins over both Maryland and Wisconsin however, the Spartans are highly likely to move up at least to a 7-seed, which is somewhat significant. In that scenario, Michigan State would play a 10-seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, with a potential second round matchup with their region's 2-seed. That may not sound like much, but being able to avoid a region's top seed would certainly be a favorable outcome for the Spartans.
