The 2016-17 Michigan State basketball team has a postseason resume that defies convention and defines distinction. If you look at their current not-even-receiving-votes in the national polls status and glance at their record, you just assume “bubble team.”
When you factor in how down the B1G is this season (well, it’s not, according to the in game announcers on BTN, but to the rest of us who do not live in the alternative facts universe, it’s reality), those numbers do scream “bubble watch.”
That it not the case.
Upon further examination, here’s where Michigan State basketball stands as of now-
#42 in RPI, #50 in Pomeroy, #43 in Sagarin, #17 in strength of schedule with a few solid wins. We currently have MSU a #9 seed in our latest bracket projection, taking on Virginia Tech in Buffalo.
Their best victories include Wisconsin (RPI 32) Northwestern (RPI 50) Minnesota (RPI 16) twice and Wichita State (40). Their resume actually contains six top 50 wins. The losses to Baylor (RPI 8), Arizona (RPI 9), Kentucky (RPI 7) Purdue (RPI 20) twice and Duke (RPI 13) gives this Michigan State basketball squad a real advantage in the “well who have you played” argument over pretty much every other bubble team out there.
Just visited WGN TV studios to join CLTV “Sports Feed” with Jarrett Payton (son of Walter himself) to talk college hoops and we spent a good deal of time talking B1G basketball. View the video at this link.
They do have a few eye sore losses though- at Indiana (RPI 89, this is a major reason why the league is so down, it’s very rare to see both Indiana and Michigan State basketball not excelling at the same time like this), Penn State (RPI 81). Northeastern (RPI 128).
The Spartans visit Maryland March 5th (RPI 22), but first comes a visit to Champaign, in a game that is now much more intriguing and compelling than it seemed on paper…pretty much all season long. Tom Izzo’s squad could really soon start doing what they ALWAYS DO, peak in March when it matters most.
Wednesday March 1st State will visit Illinois and their brand new upgraded to the tune of $170 million arena to take on an Illini team that shown some fight the past two weeks. The Fighting Illini need to take this one, and not choke at runt of the B1G litter Rutgers to close the season, and perhaps finish 9-9 in the league.
With four top 50 RPI wins, and a strength of schedule ranked 12, Illinois could make a decent case for a bid if they win these last two and somehow make it to the B1G semi-finals or better. Maybe that doesn’t seem all too impressive at first, but then remember how just a couple weeks ago Illinois had “relegated to the Wednesday session in the B1G tournament” written all over them.
MSU had better watch it, the Illini contest is sandwiched between Wisconsin and Maryland; it’s the definition of a “trap game.”
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times and NBC Chicago.com, contributes to Chicago Tribune.com, Bold, WGN CLTV and KOZN.
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