REPORT: CBB Analyst Predicts Spartans' Tournament Run

College basketball analyst Andy Katz gave his bracket predictions for where the Michigan State Spartans will finish in this year's NCAA Tournament. He is high on the Green and White but anticipates the top dog will knock them out.

Mar 17, 2023; Denver, CO, USA; TCU Horned Frogs head coach Jamie Dixon is interviewed by ESPN reporter Andy Katz during the first half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans (26-6) are preparing for their 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament and are projected to make a deep run in this year's big dance. College basketball expert analyst Andy Katz revealed his bracket predictions on how far the Spartans will go.

Katz has the Spartans cruising through the first few rounds of action, defeating No. 15 seed Bryant and No. 10 New Mexico in the opening weekend. He then has Michigan State taking down No. 6 Ole Miss in the Sweet 16, before taking on the No. 1 overall seed, Auburn Tigers, in the Elite Eight.

The top two seeds from the south region will square off for a chance at the Final Four, but Katz has bad news for Spartan fans. He issued reasoning for why he doesn't like Michigan State in the matchup, highlighting its size as the leading factor to their demise as one of the final eight teams.

"Elite eight matchup, it's kind of a shame, because when we were in Maui after Auburn won, the chatter was this was kind of the game Michigan State did not want to have and they didn't want to be in their bracket," Katz said.

"They are, I think this is a Michigan State team that's good enough to get to the Final Four, [they] didn't play as well down the stretch against Wisconsin in the semis in the Big Ten [Tournament] here in Indy, but I just don't like this matchup. I think the bigs of Auburn are too strong, too talented for Michigan State's bigs; that's where I think this game gets decided, and I think Auburn gets out of the South Region to the Final Four."

Katz does make a good point regarding Auburn's bigs and their impact on a potential matchup. Tigers senior forward Johni Broome is one of the top frontrunners for National Player of the Year, averaging a double-double with 18.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per contest.

Besides Broome, Auburn possesses one other impactful big man in 6-7 senior Chaney Johnson. Averaging 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds, Chaney is giving the Tigers just over 23 minutes per game and would be a dangerous threat to the Spartans front court.

If this matchup were to happen, it would be one of the best games in the entire tournament. One of the most explosive offensives stacking up against a top-three defense in the country would make for fabulous theatre, and it would truly be a coin flip to see who won that game.

Katz may be doubting the Spartans against the best team in the tournament, but nobody forgets what Kenny Goins and Michigan State were able to do to Zion Williamson and the Duke Blue Devils in the 2019 Elite Eight.

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