MSU, NDSU Unveil Availability Report Before NCAA Tournament Game

Here is what to know about which players are and are not available for Thursday's contest.

Michigan State's Divine Ugochukwu passes the ball against Northwestern during the first half on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One of the new requirements in the NCAA Tournament this year is that both teams have to release availability reports the day before the game.

With (3) Michigan State and (14) North Dakota State slated to do battle, both teams complied with the new rule and released their reports at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday night. Here's what to know:

MSU Report

Mar 18, 2026; Buffalo, NY, USA; Michigan State Spartans forward Kaleb Glenn (8) shoots the ball during a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

There were no surprises for MSU in the report. The Spartans will be without forward Kaleb Glenn and guard Divine Ugochukwu on Thursday, but both of those players have been ruled out for the season for some time.

What is intriguing is that both Glenn and Ugochukwu were participants in Michigan State's open practice in Buffalo on Wednesday. Being ready to practice is still much different than being game-ready, though. Glenn is the closest one to being ready for full-fledged 5-on-5 hoops, but burning his year of eligibility wouldn't be wise.

Michigan State Spartans guard Divine Ugochukwu competing against the Iowa Hawkeyes on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, inside the Breslin Center. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

The loss of Ugochukwu is the one that can truly be weighed, since MSU has gone through the whole season with Glenn unavailable. His injury has shifted the backup point guard role to Denham Wojcik, who just can't provide the type of Big Ten-quality shifts that Ugochukwu can.

Glenn is still a player who would gel really well into this rotation, though. Michigan State has had a wing shooter-shaped hole in the rotation all season long. Kur Teng and Trey Fort can provide sparks at times, but Glenn would have given a sturdy 41.0% three-point shot from his 2024-25 season at Florida Atlantic, as well as some more athleticism and size to the Spartans.

North Dakota State Report

Mar 18, 2026; Buffalo, NY, USA; North Dakota State Bison head coach David Richman speaks to the media before a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at KeyBank Center. | Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

As for NDSU, the Bison have a totally clean report. It simply reads, "none to report."

North Dakota State brings in a pretty balanced scoring attack into this one. The Bison have six players averaging between 9.2 points and 14.4 points per contest. That means they've got a good group of players who have a good possibility to come through under the bright lights.

They've also got a lot of capable shooters. Five of those six guys averaging at least 9.2 points are at least a halfway-decent threat from behind the arc, with four of them shooting at least 36.9% from deep for the season. Perimeter defense has been a bit of a problem for Michigan State lately; the Spartans' last five opponents have made at least 10 threes.

Tip-off for Thursday's game is set for 4:05 p.m. ET on TNT. The winner will face either (6) Louisville or (11) South Florida in the second round.

Mar 18, 2026; Buffalo, NY, USA; Michigan State Spartans Head Coach Tom Izzo answers questions during a press conference prior to a practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Keybank Center. | Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images