Spartans' First-Round NCAA Tournament Matchup is Set

The Michigan State Spartans have received their seed and opponent as the NCAA Tournament bracket was released on Sunday afternoon. Despite being the No. 1 ranked team, they did receive the No. 1 overall seed but still have a strong draw.

Members of the MSU Spartan hockey team celebrate their 4-3 double overtime win against Ohio State, Saturday, March 22, 2025, to win the Big 10 Hockey Championship at Munn Ice Arena. / Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The top 16 teams in Division I hockey are headed to the NCAA Tournament, and the Michigan State Spartans (26-6-4) are one of them, earning the No. 2 overall seed, as announced on ESPNU's selection show on Sunday. It is win-or-go-home time, and this team is ready to make another deep run.

The Spartans finished the conference season as the No. 1 ranked team in the country and just won the Big Ten tournament title for the second straight season. Even so, the Boston College Eagles were given the No. 1 overall seed on the opposite side of the bracket.

The Spartans have drawn the Cornell Big Red (18-10-6) for a first-round matchup in the Toledo Regional. It will be the fifth-ever matchup between the two programs and the first since 2019-'20. Michigan State is 2-2 against the Big Red and has lost the last two.

Cornell earned their way into the national tournament, winning the ECAC Tournament after finishing sixth in the regular season standings. Much like college basketball, you win your conference tournament, you earn an immediate bid to the national stage.

If Michigan State were to find a win over the Big Red, it would await the winner of Boston University and familiar foe, Ohio State, which the Spartans just beat in the Big Ten Tournament final. All four teams are located in the same region.

It has been quite some time since either team has made the Frozen Four. The Spartans have not returned since their national championship in 2007, and Cornell has not gotten there in 22 years, dating back to 2003. This will be a highly anticipated battle on Thursday night.

Last season, the Spartans lost in the second round of the tournament to bitter rival, Michigan, a team that did not make the national tournament this season after a very poor showing. After being just one win away from the Frozen Four, Michigan State seeks to exact its revenge.

Face-off is set for Thursday at 5:30 pm ET at the Huntington Center in downtown Toledo, Ohio. The winner will play on Saturday for the second round contest with a trip to the Frozen Four up for grabs.

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