MSU Earns 7-Seed in NCAA Tournament, Highest Since 2016

Michigan State women's basketball will head to Raleigh, North Carolina for the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan State's head coach Robyn Fralick, center, talks to the team during a break in the action in the third quarter of the game against Oregon on Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State will be the No. 7 seed in the Spokane 1 region, where it will face No. 10 seed Harvard in Raleigh, North Carolina on Saturday, as announced on ESPN's "NCAA Women's Selection Special."

The Spartans will be in the same region as the No. 1 overall seed, UCLA.

Michigan State went 21-8 in the regular season, with an 11-7 record in conference.

The Spartans have had back-to-back winning seasons in Big Ten play under Coach Robyn Fralick's reign -- prior to her arrival, they hadn't finished above .500 in conference since 2016-17.

Michigan State will be looking to make it out of the first round for the first time since 2018-19. Should it reach the Sweet 16, it would be its first time advancing past the first weekend since 2008-09.

"I think we were all really anticipatory today because we're a team that kind of didn't know exactly where we were going to land or end up at," Fralick said when she addressed the media after the reveal. "So many people asked me, 'Where are you going to be," and I'm like, 'There's 16 different spots we could be in.'

"So, I think right now, we're just looking forward, and we've got Harvard to prepare for, and it's been a while since we've known who we're going to play, so I think we're eager to get prepared and get back to work."

This is the highest the Spartans have been seeded since 2016 when they were a 4-seed. They lost in the second round.

Michigan State has not made a Final Four since 2005, when it came up short in the national title game as a No. 1 seed, falling to No. 2-seeded Baylor.

Fralick is the first head coach to lead the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament in their first two years at the helm.

"It's an honor to be playing," Fralick said. "It's hard to make the tournament. Our league's really good. ... So, we're very grateful that we're still playing, and we need to play in a way that shows that."

Michigan State's first-round matchup is set for 4:30 p.m. EST.

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