Full MSU March Madness Prediction
The Michigan State Spartans (26-6) rightfully earned a No. 2 seed, playing out of the South Region, starting first-round action with No. 15-seeded Bryant Bulldogs on Friday night. There are high expectations for this group and may just live up to them once again.
Round of 64 vs. No. 15 Bryant (23-11)
The Spartans will be facing one of the highest producing offensive teams in the country. They were America East conference regular season and tournament champions, ranking 24th in all of Division I in points per game (81.6).
Despite the impressive resume that the Bulldogs bring to the table, Michigan State's defense will be too much for the long-shot No. 15 seed. The Spartans rank 2nd in the country in opponent 3-point percentage (27.9%) and are in the Top 50 in opponent points per game (67.9).
The Spartans will expand their first half lead, cruising to a double-digit win over the Bulldogs and making a statement in the first round in Lexington, Kentucky.
Round of 32 vs. No. 10 New Mexico (26-7)
This is where things may begin to get tricky for the Spartans. Facing head coach Richard Pitino and the Mountain West's leading scorer, Lobos points guard Donovan Dent, this is a team that is good enough to upset the No. 7 seed Marquette Musketeers in the First Round and matchup with Michigan State.
Despite an early punch in the mouth, the Spartans will make the necessary adjustments to earn a win. Both guards Jase Richardson and Tre Holloman will have big games to match New Mexico's guard play while Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper overwhelm Lobos center Nelly Junior Joseph.
Michigan State will earn a late possession victory moving onto its 22nd Sweet 16 in program history.
Sweet 16 vs. No. 6 Ole Miss (22-11)
There are five potential teams that could face the Spartans in the Sweet 16, but the Ole Miss Rebels seem to be the ones that may emerge. They will upset the No. 3 seed Iowa State Cyclones, a team that's lost four of their last seven. Ole Miss will move to second-ever Sweet 16 to face the Spartans.
Michigan State will make this game the statement piece that can convince the nation of their seriousness to win reach another Final Four and win a national championship. Ole Miss struggles to shoot the ball (44.2%) and rebound (33.1 rpg), two things that are necessary to beat the Spartans.
In dramatic fashion, the Spartans will cruise to a multi-possession win with big games coming from Cooper and the true freshman, Richardson, working their two man pick and roll, lob game. The Spartans will become one of the Elite 8 teams left in the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
Elite Eight vs. No. 4 Texas A&M (22-10)
The Spartans can avoid the toughest matchup in the entire tournament when the Texas A&M Aggies upset the No. 1 overall seed, Auburn Tigers in the Sweet 16. The Aggies beat Auburn near the end of the season and will do it again to play Michigan State.
It will be the second straight SEC the Spartans will face, but it is almost inevitable, considering there are 14 teams from that conference in the big dance. A&M possesses two elite scorers in senior guards Wade Taylor IV (15.7 ppg) and Zhuric Phelps, but once again, the Spartans' defense will shine bright.
The Aggies are the third-lowest scoring team in the SEC (74.3) while being the worst shooting team in the conference (41.6%). The Spartans will be locked down on the perimeter, but will struggle on the interior as A&M pulls down an SEC-most 16.3 offensive rebounds per game.
In another barn burner of an Elite Eight matchup for the Green and White, one Spartan guard will hit a late, game-changing shot that will give the Spartans a two possession lead with under a minute to play. It will be a low scoring affair with the Spartans advancing to their 11th Final Four.
Final Four vs. No. 1 Florida (30-4)
In arguably the most anticipated matchup of the tournament, two of the best teams in the country will duke it out in San Antonio, Texas for the Final Four, the Gators' first appearance since 2014. This team is playing like a No. 1 seed and will cruise through their Region without having to play No. 2 Saint John's.
Florida scored 85.4 points per game, shooting 47.3% from the field and 35.5% from 3-point range, despite possessing just one elite scorer in senior guard Walter Clayton Jr (17.5 ppg). Their average rebounds per game is 42.0 compared to the Spartans 39.8 which will be a huge factor.
The Spartans will unfortunately fail to take the national championship game monkey off their back, falling to the Gators in a hard fought, high-scoring battle. Florida is a team that just dominated the SEC tournament and is arguably playing the best basketball of any team in the tournament.
Despite a tough loss, one game short of a national title appearance, the Spartans will have exceeded expectations tenfold as a team that was picked to finish fifth in the Big Ten and started the season unranked. The future will be beyond bright for this young, talent group of Spartans.
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