Is Michigan State in March Madness? Exploring Spartans' odds to make NCAA tournament after Purdue loss
The Michigan State Spartans bowed out to the mighty Purdue Boilermakers in the Big Ten quarterfinals on Friday with a 67-62 loss.
It was a valiant effort by Tom Izzo and his wards against one of the best teams in the nation, but the loss has fans wondering whether Izzo`s streak of March Madness appearances will be cut short this season.
On that note, here`s a quick look at the Michigan State Spartans` chances of making the NCAA tournament despite their defeat to Purdue:
Michigan State`s March Madness chances
Many believe that the Spartans remain a lock for the NCAA Tournament. Bracketology experts from ESPN estimate Michigan State to be seeded 10, while CBS estimate that they`d be at nine (via Bracket Matrix). Most experts rank the Spartans as the 10 seed coming into March Madness.
Sports Illustrated reckons Michigan State is going to make the tournament as the 9 or 10-seed. If they do so as the 10, they could avoid the top four seeds in the nation early, potentially paving their way beyond the first round.
Is Michigan State in the March Madness bubble?
Despite the loss to Purdue, Michigan State and Tom Izzo are not considered to be a bubble team in danger of missing the postseason. They`ve done all they can the entire year to ensure that the Selection Committee doesn`t doubt their current abilities to compete with the best teams in the nation.
The man known as Mr. March will once again head into the NCAA tournament, continuing his immaculate streak of postseason appearances. His Michigan State teams have never missed March Madness since 1995.
They have been virtual locks alongside a lot of other Big East teams who`ve had major victories in the last week (via USA Today).
Despite having a relatively modest win-loss record (19-15) and a low Net rating (24), Michigan is picked as a lock for the tournament because of other big factors. Their undefeated records in Quad 3 and Quad 4 are doing wonders for them, despite having sub-par performances in Quads 1 and 2.
It`s also worth noting that the Spartans have had one of the tougher schedules of the year. They haven`t done too poorly with their schedule, all things considered, and the Selection Committee is known to reward teams like that (via The Athletic).