REPORT: MSU's First-Round Opponent Bryant Named Potential 'Cinderella'

The Michigan State Spartans bring a strong impression to the NCAA Tournament, as they won the Big Ten title and earned an impressive 13 Quad 1 wins. After being eliminated in the Big Ten Tournament, MSU has shifted its focus to going as far as it can in March Madness.

The Spartans' first-round opponent will be the Bryant Bulldogs, a program that won the American East regular season and tournament championship this season. While the Spartans enter the matchup as a 2-seed, a recent prediction has MSU potentially bowing out in the first round.

Bleacher Reports' Kerry Miller has deemed the Bulldogs as a potential "Cinderella" in his "2025 Men's NCAA Bracket Predictions." Given the loss that MSU faced at the end of its Big Ten Tournament run, could Miller be on to something?

"After his illustrious, decades-long run at Saint Joseph's, Phil Martelli was an assistant at Michigan from 2019-24, during which time the Wolverines defeated the Spartans four times in 10 tries," Miller wrote.

"And if anyone has a direct line to Martelli for advice on game-planning for Tom Izzo, it's probably his son, Phil Martelli Jr., presently in his second season as head coach at Bryant."

If history were to repeat itself, the Spartans would be out after Game 1. The NCAA Tournament is known for its upsets, but after the strong season the Bulldogs had, it makes sense as to why they are the ones viewed as a "Cinderella" story in the south region.

"It's one thing to be handed a potential blueprint, but it's another to have the tools to build a bracket-buster," Miller wrote. "But Martelli the Younger does have a couple of studs in Earl Timberlake and Rafael Pinzon. And it's not like Michigan State is a good three-point shooting team."

MSU did suffer from beyond the arc, but the team also holds a strong defense and some excellent scorers. Not to mention, the 3-point shooting has also improved as of late.

Going into the Spartans' 27th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, head coach Tom Izzo would love to make another long run, and he has the team that can do it.

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