Bracketology: Michigan State moves up in ESPN's latest projections
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The 2022-23 college basketball season is creeping towards tournament time. Teams across the country are in the heart of their conference schedule, looking to catch fire at the right time.
Right in the middle of things is Michigan State, which is currently sitting fourth in the Big Ten standings. Most years, the fourth-best team in the Big Ten would easily be ranked Top 25 nationally. But that’s not the case this year, as No. 1 ranked Purdue is the conference’s only ranked team currently. Meanwhile, multiple teams from smaller conferences, such as College of Charleston, FAU, Saint Mary’s and New Mexico, have taken spots in the rankings.
So where is Michigan State currently in national rankings? And where are they going to be seeded in the NCAA tournament?
For starters, the Spartans’ strength of schedule has slowly faded away. Wins against Kentucky, Villanova, Oregon and Wisconsin aren’t as impressive as they were at the time of the game. Kentucky might still be Michigan State’s best win, and the Wildcats are 14-6 and unranked. Villanova is 10-10 and won’t even make the NIT. Oregon won’t make the NCAA tournament and Wisconsin, who was ranked No. 18 when the Spartans beat them, is potentially a bubble team now.
Michigan State has not been ranked since Week 4 of this season. That was the week of Nov. 28, before back-to-back losses to Notre Dame and Northwestern. While receiving votes in every week since, losing three of their last five games have kept the Spartans from climbing back into the Top 25.
On Jan. 27, ESPN’s Joe Lunardi released the most recent update to his NCAA Tournament Bracketology, projecting the entire 68-team field. After its most recent win against Iowa, Michigan State is projected as the No. 6 seed in the West region, with a first round matchup against 11-seed Charleston. The only Big Ten teams seeded higher that MSU were No. 1 overall seed Purdue and No. 5 seed Rutgers. Meanwhile, Illinois and Indiana were both No. 6 seeds in other regions.
Four of Michigan State’s last five games came against the Boilermakers, Scarlet Knights, Fighting Illini and Hoosiers. The Spartans went 1-3 over that stretch, but were without a key player in Malik Hall for all but the Illinois game.
The Big Ten leads all conferences in Lunardi’s bracket with nine projected tournament teams. Joining the conference teams above are 9-seed Iowa, 10-seed Maryland, 10-seed Northwestern and 12-seed Wisconsin, who is currently one of Lunardi’s “Last Four In”.
Hall has returned from injury and, if he can remain healthy, gives Michigan State the boost they need to finish the conference season strong. Hall brings energy on both sides of the floor, and he played a major role in MSU’s most recent win over the Hawkeyes. The Spartans have a rematch against Purdue on Sunday, and another shot at Indiana on Feb. 21. With Hall back in the lineup, Michigan State has a chance to avenge earlier losses to the Boilermakers and Hoosiers.
If the Spartans beat Purdue on Sunday, they’ll move back into the Top 25 rankings and would get a bump to their current seeding in the NCAA Tournament. However, with seven losses, it will be hard for MSU to make a big jump in seeding. Many teams ahead of them would have to lose to move up significantly.
With that said, Michigan State controls its own destiny with the hardest part of their schedule already behind them. The most important thing for the Spartans now is keeping everyone healthy in these final 10 games. Do that, and MSU will be safely in the field for the NCAA Tournament.
