3 Interesting 15 Seeds MSU Could See in Tournament

These three teams would make an interesting matchup for the Spartans in the first round.

Michigan State's head coach Tom Izzo calls out to players during the second half in the game against Michigan on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Everyone seems to have a fairly good grasp on what kind of seed Michigan State is looking at in the NCAA Tournament this season.

Nearly every projection out there has the Spartans, ranked eighth in the country on the AP Poll, as a 2 seed at the moment. MSU may need to win at least one game in the Big Ten Tournament to help secure that seed, but that is definitely the most likely outcome of Selection Sunday right now.

Michigan State's Jeremy Fears Jr. hunches over during a game against Michigan at the Breslin Center on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

This would be the second consecutive year that Michigan State will get this seeding and would be the first time the program has gotten a top-2 seed in consecutive years since the Spartans were a 1 seed three consecutive times from the 1999-2001 tournaments.

MSU took care of 15th-seeded Bryant last year in the first round, 87-62, though the bad memories of Middle Tennessee State in 2016 will probably live on forever. Since we're getting so close to there being a bracket, let's take a look at a couple of teams that are contenders to be paired with Michigan State in a 2-vs-15 game.

Wright State

Detroit Mercy Titans guard Lance Stone (11) shoots the ball against Wright State Raiders guard TJ Burch (22) on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, at Corteva Coliseum at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

One team not too far from East Lansing that has a chance to be a 15 seed is Wright State, which recently took down Detroit Mercy and its coach, former MSU player/assistant Mark Montgomery, in the Horizon League Tournament final on Tuesday. The Raiders are from Fairborn, Ohio, located just to the east of Dayton.

Part of what makes Wright State an interesting potential matchup is that there is not much to go off of in how it handles higher-end competition. The Raiders only played two games against high-major programs, losing by 10 at Cal on Nov. 6 and then losing by 25 at Butler on Nov. 28.

Detroit Mercy head coach Mark Montgomery is shown during the first half of their game against UW-Milwaukee Saturday, March 1, 2025 at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Neither of those teams is probably going to make the tournament, though Cal does have a bit of a chance. Also worth noting is that Wright State also played 31-0 Miami (OH) and fell by seven while playing at home on Dec. 16.

UMBC

Dec 20, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; UMBC Retrievers head coach Jim Ferry reacts during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Yep, these guys might be there this year. The Terriers haven't been back to the NCAA Tournament since their monumental upset of No. 1 seed Virginia back in 2018, and they're just one win away from getting there this year. UMBC is the top seed in the America East this season and will host second-seeded Vermont in the title game on Saturday.

It's an entirely new operation there now (the 2018 coach, Ryan Odom, is the UVA coach now, actually), but that team's name popping up next to yours on Selection Sunday only makes one worry a bit.

Feb 26, 2021; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions interim head coach Jim Ferry signals from the bench during the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Bryce Jordan Center. Purdue defeated Penn State 73-52. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-Imagn Images | Matthew OHaren-Imagn Images

The current coach, Jim Ferry (who was the head coach at Penn State on an interim basis in 2020-21), has his team rolling right now. If the Terriers win on Saturday, they'll be entering the tourney on a 12-game win streak.

Tennessee State

Nov 20, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee State Tigers forward Aaron Nkrumah (30) looks to move the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Experience matters a lot in the NCAA Tournament. Tennessee State hasn't been to March Madness since 1994, but it's going back this year after it won the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament.

The Tigers, led by first-year coach and former Duke standout Nolan Smith, are led by three experienced seniors. Aaron Nkrumah, who played at the Division III level earlier in his career, leads the team at 17.6 points per game as a 6-foot-6 two-guard.

Nov 20, 2025; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee State Tigers guard Travis Harper II (2) dunks the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-Imagn Images | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Travis Harper II, a former D-II guy, averages 17.3 points as a 40% three-point shooter. Dante Harris also averages 11.7 points per game --- he was actually the MVP of the 2021 Big East Tournament at Georgetown before having other stops at Virginia and Memphis.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo looks on during a game against Rutgers on Thursday, March 5, 2026, at the Breslin Center. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI