Tom Izzo and Michigan State began their bid for the 2021 NCAA Tournament Championship, a game behind a huge field of 68-teams.
That’s because the Spartans – seeking their first national title since the 2000 tournament – will begin March Madness as the First Team against UCLA in the final game of the NCAA opening round on Thursday.
This is a curious placement for the Spartans – even with their 15–12 record and 9–11 campaign in the Big Ten. That’s because Michigan State boasts some of the best wins of any tournament team this season, including four NCAA tournament-bound teams. Those teams are Illinois (No. 3 overall), Michigan (No. 4), Ohio State (No. 6), all teams the Spartans met on or after February 23. He also defeated Rutgers (No. 40) on 5 January.
Brief Image:
DeCourcy (Gonzaga) | Alcoholic (Illinois) | Fagan (Gonzaga) | Lutowski (Baylor)
It is true that Izzo’s Spartans Squad – which ranked No. 13 in the AP Top 25 and climbed to No. 4 – took a number of losses. But two out of all took place against the Quad 1 teams. Michigan State won 5–10 against Quad 1 teams (only 16 teams won more), 4–2 against Quad 2 teams, and a combined 6–0 win against Quad 3 and 4 teams.
Michigan State’s placement looks particularly arrogant when you look at teams like Syracuse and Utah State, also 11 seeds, meeting in tournaments without a game. The Orange defeated only one ranked opponent throughout the season, winning only two road games and claiming a 1-7 Quad 1 record. Utah State is similarly credited in subsequent metrics, going 2–5 against such teams.
Mike Decorsi on Sporting News ‘Spartans’ first four placements:
“This is the second consecutive NCAA tournament, which included the Spartans, one of the committee’s most potent bots. The first went into disrepute in the 2019 tournament when they were assigned the No. 2 seed in the East Region (which was No. 1 overall. Seed. Duke and Superstar Zion Williamson) instead of the Midwest (which didn’t) because it was 120 miles east of Lansing, close to DC. The single location in 2021 (Indiana) meant we could expect to avoid such rhetoric, and Generally we were.
But keeping the Spartans in the first four games with UCLA, with less accomplished teams such as Utah State and Syracuse, means zero straight into the first round. Neither of those teams was exceptional, but MSU netted No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Michigan and No. 8 Ohio State. There are teams on the No. 2 seed line who cannot win those wins. Syracuse won a single Quad 1 game and held that its only opportunities came in road games, such that it was forbidden to win at least one more. Utah State’s only win against the field came in a home series against No. 7 San Diego State. This is a shocking one. “
Bracket Tips: KenPom | Play the odds. Idiot guide
Michigan State fans likely would not be pleased with Mitch Barnhart’s answer to why the Spartans were selected as the first team four. Asked how the committee came to its conclusion, the chair of the NCAA selection committee stated unequivocally, “We thought it would be a way to start the tournament.”
This is very, at least, true. Michigan State and UCLA (17-9, 13-6 Pac-12) are two of college basketball’s most historic Blue Blood teams. However, jokingly or not, Barnhart’s answer is not going to make him a friend in Michigan. In fact, Wolverine fans may be able to enjoy a little schadenfreude at the expense of their rivals.
And, if those teams meet in the Elite Eight, Michigan will be a game fresher than the Spartans.
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