Michigan State lands a No. 2 seed, will face Bryant in NCAA Tournament

Connor Earegood, The Detroit News on Mar 16, 2025

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EAST LANSING, Mich. — The No. 1 team in the Big Ten is a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

For the 27th straight season, Michigan State will play in March Madness. After an unexpected run to the top of the Big Ten standings this season, the Spartans (27-6) earned a No. 2 seed in the South Region, where it faces No. 15 seed Bryant (23-11) on Friday in Cleveland.

There was no question the Spartans (27-6) would be among the 68-team field. Where exactly they would fall was a little less clear. A total of 13 Quadrant 1 wins — third most among all teams — made a compelling case for a spot near the top of the bracket. Most projections listed a No. 2 seed. An eight-game win streak only strengthened the argument in the leadup to Selection Sunday, but a 77-74 Big Ten Tournament semifinal loss to Wisconsin stopped that surge.

Those wins came from the benefit of Michigan State’s depth, with a 10-player rotation making big contributions in different games along the way. Lately, freshman phenom Jase Richardson has ascended as a source of star power on the roster, but a “strength in numbers” approach continues to be the Spartans’ M.O.

This year’s No. 2 seed is the highest Michigan State has received since 2019, when another second-seeded Spartans team ran all the way to the Final Four. It’s a long way from some low seedings the past four postseasons, including a First Four loss in 2021.

While the champion of a Power Four conference getting a No. 2 seed might be seen as a slight, Michigan State coach Tom Izzo maintained earlier this weekend that he doesn’t care so much about the seeding.

“I've been a one, two, three (seed),” Izzo said Friday. “We've been a seven and gone to a Final Four. I've been a two and got beat the first game. I've done it all when (I’ve) been around this long, so I don't really worry about that stuff as much as you think.”

In his 30th year leading Michigan State, Izzo has more to focus on regarding his team’s most recent game. A compilation of errors and irregularities contributed to Saturday’s loss to Wisconsin, the kind of play that makes NCAA Tournament runs brief.

“We can do a lot of things. We could have won this tournament,” Izzo said after Saturday’s loss. “It's not what you can do, it's what you do do. … I think this team has performed way above where they are and yet, I think there's a ceiling yet to get to. And that's going to be my job in the next five days.”

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