ESPN Bracketology: MSU continues to drop as part of recent slump
Michigan State basketball continues to drop in ESPN’s “Bracketology” after a rough stretch that has seen the Spartans lose five of their last seven games.
Lunardi has been releasing his famous “Bracketology” NCAA Tournament projections for months, and to no surprise Michigan State is in the field of 68. The Spartans are one of 8 teams Lunardi currently has dancing this upcoming March.
Check out which Big Ten teams Lunardi has listed in his latest batch of “Bracketology” below:
Illinois
Seed / Region: No. 6 seed in South Region
First Round Opponent: No. 11 seed Nevada / Memphis
Indiana
Seed / Region: No. 5 seed in West Region
First Round Opponent: No. 12 seed Drake
Iowa
Seed / Region: No. 6 seed in East Region
First Round Opponent: No. 11 seed Arkansas
Click here for more coverage from Hawkeyes Wire on Iowa basketball
Maryland
Seed / Region: No. 7 seed in Midwest Region
First Round Opponent: No. 10 seed New Mexico
Northwestern
Seed / Region: No. 9 seed in West Region
First Round Opponent: No. 8 seed Missouri
Purdue
Seed / Region: No. 1 seed in South Region
First Round Opponent: No. 16 seed Alcorn State / No. 16 seed Fairleigh Dickinson
Rutgers
Seed / Region: No. 5 seed in East Region
First Round Opponent: No. 12 seed VCU
Click here for more coverage from Rutgers Wire on Rutgers basketball
Michigan State
Seed / Region: No. 9 seed in Midwest Region
First Round Opponent: No. 8 seed Pitt
Thoughts on Draw: Michigan State flip-flopped seeds with Pitt from Lunardi’s last NCAA Tournament bracket projection. So that isn’t a notable difference but dropping another seed line is concerning as we get closer and closer to Selection Sunday. Michigan State’s schedule should lighten up in February with opportunities to bolster their tournament stock. For this particular draw, I still think the Spartans would be favored against Pitt but beating No. 1 seed Alabama in the second round is unlikely.
Complete Bracket Prediction
Click on the tweet below for the complete bracket prediction from Lunardi:
2023 NCAA Tournament Bracketology https://t.co/qie3gvBcWo. 🏀🏀 It's both refreshing and rare when the major polls make sense. This is one of those times, as Purdue managed to lose narrowly at rival Indiana and retain its No. 1 ranking.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) February 7, 2023
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