NCAA Tournament March Madness

#11 Michigan St

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Projected seed: 2

Michigan State’s résumé is driven by a stingy defense and a pair of high‑profile neutral‑site wins over Kentucky and North Carolina that give the committee confidence the team can close out big games away from home, while solid wins over Arkansas and at Iowa reinforce that quality. The blemishes are clear and predictable: losses at Michigan and at Purdue that stand out on the resume and will linger until the Spartans can prove they can win tough true road games. The schedule has been aggressive enough to build a compelling body of work, and remaining opportunities — a marquee matchup with Duke, road tests at Michigan and at Purdue, and other conference road trips — offer chances to reinforce the top‑line credentials or raise fresh questions, which is exactly why the current placement reflects both what the team has already done and what it still must do.

Date Opponent Ranking Outcome
11/3Colgate166W80-69
11/8Arkansas30W69-66
11/13San Jose St186W79-60
11/18(N)Kentucky19W83-66
11/21Detroit310W84-56
11/25(N)East Carolina244W89-56
11/27(N)North Carolina27W74-58
12/2Iowa31W71-52
12/6Duke448%
12/13@Penn St9381%
12/16Toledo16198%
12/20(N)Oakland14494%
12/29Cornell16098%
1/2@Nebraska4866%
1/5USC2875%
1/8Northwestern5686%
1/13Indiana2474%
1/17@Washington5970%
1/20@Oregon8379%
1/24Maryland9092%
1/27@Rutgers12788%
1/30Michigan139%
2/4@Minnesota10984%
2/7Illinois1766%
2/13@Wisconsin2654%
2/17UCLA3377%
2/22Ohio St3679%
2/26@Purdue533%
3/1@Indiana2454%
3/5Rutgers12796%
3/8@Michigan120%