Looking for clues on whether or not you should pick Michigan State in your bracket pool? Well, you can consider their Big Ten tournament final result as a factor in your equation. #1 seeded Michigan State opens their BTT against #9 seed Oregon in the tournament quarterfinals this morning in Indianapolis.
Jase Richardson, the team’s second leading scorer, discussed this team’s potential this March.
Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinal FYIs
#1 seed Michigan State Spartans vs #9 seed Oregon Ducks
Friday March 14, 11 a.m. CT, BTN, Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
“For us it’s just poise, when they go on runs and they (the opponent) start to get the crowd going, we know that we got to come down, calm, cool, collected and make a play”
Should you bet on Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament?
Well, there will be a lot of action on the Spartans this March, as they are considered by some to be among the top ten national title contenders.
Before you go all in on MSU though, you might want to look at how this BTT goes for them.
Over at RG, you can look at how past conference tournament results sync/don’t sync/sometimes sync with how the Spartans perform in March Madness.
Remember kids, that they haven’t advanced beyond the sweet sixteen since 2019.
What does the man himself think? Michigan State program patriarch Tom Izzo, who became the all-time winningest coach in Big Ten history on Feb 15th of this year, was asked about this very topic back at the 2019 Big Ten Tourney in Chicago.
Izzo doesn’t see commonality in the two tournaments’ results.
“No, that’s the nice thing about me,” Izzo responded.
“I’m kind of universal. I’ve been here to the Big Dance as a 1 seed and got beat the first game. And I’ve been to the Big Dance as a 7 seed and gone to a Final Four. So I’m kind of flexible.”
“We’ve won this thing and — as a No. 1 seed. We’ve lost the opening game. I think it’s always harder on the highest seeds.
“But it’s good. The tournament is good because it gives you a chance to talk about one-and-done.
“The uniqueness of our jobs, different than the NBA, a lot like the NFL, but the other three sports, it’s always best of whatever.”
Of course, Izzo has even scoffed somewhat at the general importance of conference tournaments. But does he even really believe that? Izzo and Michigan State have more Big Ten Tournament titles and total wins than any other program.
Obviously, he takes this stuff very seriously.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.