March Madness Hub for MSU Fans: Schedule, Live Updates

Here are all the updates Spartan fans need as Michigan State gets going in the NCAA Tournament.

Mar 1, 2026; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo talks with Michigan State Spartans guard Jeremy Fears Jr. (1) against the Indiana Hoosiers during the second half at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

The Madness has officially arrived.

Michigan State is set to get going in its 28th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Spartans are entering "The Big Dance" with a 25-7 record and will be seeking another deep run this year. Check below for all the updates on MSU's run in March:

Bracket Reveal (Selection Sunday)

Michigan State's Jordan Scott watches a free throw go up during a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal against UCLA at the United Center on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

Michigan State will learn its official placement in the bracket on Sunday evening at about 6 p.m. ET.

The big question entering the reveal was whether MSU had done enough to earn a 2 seed or if it would end up sliding down to the 3 line. Most projections have had the Spartans as the former for a fair amount of time, but a one-and-done trip to Chicago for the Big Ten Tournament, where Michigan State lost to UCLA on Friday, has sewn a fair amount of doubt.

First Round (Thursday/Friday)

Michigan State forward Coen Carr (55) goes to the basket against UCLA center Xavier Booker (1) during the second half of Big Ten tournament quarterfinal at United Center in Chicago on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

This section will be updated shortly after MSU learns which team it will face in the first round of the tournament. Michigan State is likely headed to Buffalo, N.Y. for the first weekend, though, which will host the first round on Thursday.

More on MSU's Season, Resume

Michigan State's Tom Izzo shouts instructions out during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

The big thing keeping hopes alive for a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament is some of the head-to-head wins Michigan State has picked up. MSU's victories against Illinois and Purdue, the two Big Ten teams likely closest to the Spartans in the committee's evaluations, can perhaps be the difference between being a 2 or a 3 seed.

Metrics don't necessarily show Michigan State to be a top-8 team, though. Entering Selection Sunday, the Spartans were 11th in the NET rankings (Illinois is eighth, Purdue is ninth) and ninth on KenPom (Illinois is seventh, Purdue is eighth).

Michigan State mascot "Sparty" celebrates 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

While the committee does take those metrics into consideration, they are predictive. WAB (wins above bubble) is a resume-based statistic that simply estimates how a team's record compares to how an average bubble team would do against the same schedule. The Spartans were at about seventh before the conference tournament, but that UCLA loss hurt. They're now down at 11th at 7.53. MSU's nine Quad 1 victories are also tied for the eighth-most in the country.

Purdue having a deep run in the Big Ten Tournament hasn't helped. Beating the Boilermakers in Mackey is still important, but that head-to-head win can be wiped away when one team wins at least three games in the conference tourney, while the other gets zero.

Michigan State's Carson Cooper defends UCLA's Tyler Bilodeau during a Big Ten Tournament game at the United Center on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI