Any lingering chances that Michigan State would miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1997 were put to bed Thursday afternoon.
The Spartans had something of a down season, per Tom Izzo standards, earning the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but a 77-67 win over 9th-seeded Minnesota assures a 26th straight tournament bid.
Trailing by two at halftime, MSU went on a 17-3 second half run to take control over the de facto hosts in Minneapolis.
A.J. Hoggard led the Spartans with 17 points, while Tyson Walker scored eight of his 15 points in a two-minute stretch late in the second half that sealed the deal.
Now on the right side of the tournament bubble, MSU will be looking to improve a résumé that now features four quad-1 wins and no losses outside the top two quadrants in the NET rankings.
A big opportunity awaits in Friday’s noon quarterfinal against Zach Edey and top-seeded Purdue.
Despite a stockpile of losses in conference play, the Spartans rank inside the top 25 in the NET and other computer metrics like KenPom and ESPN’s Strength of Record favor the green and white.
Featured Image Photo Credit: David Berding/Getty Images
Featured Local Savings
Featured Local Savings
The Spartans had something of a down season, per Tom Izzo standards, earning the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but a 77-67 win over 9th-seeded Minnesota assures a 26th straight tournament bid.
Trailing by two at halftime, MSU went on a 17-3 second half run to take control over the de facto hosts in Minneapolis.
A.J. Hoggard led the Spartans with 17 points, while Tyson Walker scored eight of his 15 points in a two-minute stretch late in the second half that sealed the deal.
Now on the right side of the tournament bubble, MSU will be looking to improve a résumé that now features four quad-1 wins and no losses outside the top two quadrants in the NET rankings.
A big opportunity awaits in Friday’s noon quarterfinal against Zach Edey and top-seeded Purdue.
Despite a stockpile of losses in conference play, the Spartans rank inside the top 25 in the NET and other computer metrics like KenPom and ESPN’s Strength of Record favor the green and white.
The Spartans had something of a down season, per Tom Izzo standards, earning the No. 8 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, but a 77-67 win over 9th-seeded Minnesota assures a 26th straight tournament bid.
Trailing by two at halftime, MSU went on a 17-3 second half run to take control over the de facto hosts in Minneapolis.
A.J. Hoggard led the Spartans with 17 points, while Tyson Walker scored eight of his 15 points in a two-minute stretch late in the second half that sealed the deal.
Now on the right side of the tournament bubble, MSU will be looking to improve a résumé that now features four quad-1 wins and no losses outside the top two quadrants in the NET rankings.
A big opportunity awaits in Friday’s noon quarterfinal against Zach Edey and top-seeded Purdue.
Despite a stockpile of losses in conference play, the Spartans rank inside the top 25 in the NET and other computer metrics like KenPom and ESPN’s Strength of Record favor the green and white.
