Instant Breakdown of MSU's NCAA Tournament Draw

Here are some initial thoughts on where the Spartans landed in the bracket.

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo talks with Carson Cooper during the first half in the game against Rutgers on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State's path in March Madness has been set.

On Sunday evening, the selection committee officially unveiled the 68-team bracket. MSU received the No. 3 seed in the East Region, where it will face 14th-seeded North Dakota State in Buffalo, N.Y. this Thursday. If it advances to the second round, the Spartans would face either (6) Louisville or (11) South Florida. If it reaches the Sweet 16, the tournament would shift to Washington, D.C.

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. looks on during a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal game against UCLA at the United Center on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

This places the Spartans in the same region as No. 1 seed Duke and No. 2 seed UConn. That's a pretty tough draw, given that the Blue Devils are the nation's top overall seed and the Huskies' title prowess under Dan Hurley. Getting SEC Tournament champion Arkansas as the No. 4 seed, Big East regular season and tournament champion St. John's as the No. 5 seed, and UCLA (which just beat MSU) as the No. 7 seed only makes things more difficult.

Sunday's reveal also officially extends Michigan State's streak of NCAA Tournament appearances out to 28, with the whole streak happening under Tom Izzo. MSU has made it to the Final Four eight times and the second weekend 16 times over the first 27 years of the streak.

Learn About the Bison

Nov 10, 2022; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; North Dakota State Bison guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas (10) drives against Kansas Jayhawks guard Bobby Pettiford Jr. (0) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

North Dakota State enters the tournament after earning the automatic bid from winning the Summit League Tournament. The Bison also won the regular season title outright, going 14-2 during conference play at 14-2.

One thing that quickly sticks out from NDSU is its very weak non-conference schedule, which featured zero games against high-major programs. North Dakota State didn't play any Quad 1 games all season, and only played one Quad 2 game. That one was a 22-point road loss to St. Thomas (103rd in the NET entering Sunday). As for the Bison's metrics, they currently stand at 113th on KenPom and 114th in the NET.

More on the Draw

Mar 12, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Louisville Cardinals guard J'vonne Hadley (1) goes to the basket against Miami (FL) Hurricanes forward Shelton Henderson (7) during the second half at Spectrum Center. | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Louisville also presents an interesting potential challenge in the second round. The Cardinals enter at 23-10 overall after going 11-7 during ACC regular season play. One big storyline for them will be whether Mikel Brown, who scores 18.2 points per game, would be able to play. He's missed Louisville's last four games, including both ACC Tournament games.

If it's not the Cardinals, it'll be South Florida, which just won the American Conference Tournament title. The Bulls are entering the NCAA Tournament red-hot as winners of 11 straight.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo gives instructions to his team during a game against Rutgers on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI