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In or out?
According to Joe Lunardi, Michigan State is still firmly in the NCAA Tournament field despite Thursday’s 68-57 loss to Maryland in Round 2 of the B1G Tournament. The Spartans dropped to 15-12 on the season, but because of the team’s late-season performance, the ESPN college basketball expert thinks Tom Izzo’s team is just fine.
“Michigan State also stays in the field despite losing to Maryland and should not be in danger,” Lunardi wrote after the game.
— Joe Lunardi (@ESPNLunardi) March 11, 2021
Lunardi has Michigan State in the Last Four Byes category for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. The Spartans have been on the bubble for quite some time, but big wins over ranked opponents like Illinois, Ohio State and Michigan boosted the team’s resume.
Before the NCAA Tournament, Michigan State had won five of its final seven games of the regular season. The two additional wins came against Indiana, beating the Hoosiers both at home and on the road.
So, unless there are some major upsets in conferences tournaments the rest of the way, it sounds like Michigan State will keep its NCAA Tournament streak alive.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB