Bracketology: Michigan State off the bubble - for now
The Michigan State basketball team was living a charmed life at this point a season ago.
The Spartans would not win the Big Ten regular season title (that honor would go to Indiana) but the Spartans did claim the league's tournament championship, beating Purdue in the final en route to receiving a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament.
And then Middle Tennessee happened.
Was that stunning loss a precursor to how this underwhelming season (albeit one that might finally be turning the corner) has played out? Maybe, maybe not. One thing's for certain, though - a spot in the NCAA tournament is far from guaranteed at this point.
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If the season ended today the Spartans are in, according to all those NCAA tournament bracketology experts. But where, exactly? You'll see a recurring theme below.
- Let's start with the parent company. USA TODAY Sports' Shelby Mast has the Spartans as a No. 10 seed in the Midwest Region, taking on No. 7 Xavier in Indianapolis.
Mast doesn't have the Spartans on the bubble. They're slotted above the "Last Four In" fray, one of seven Big Ten teams in the field.
- In ESPN writer Joe Lunardi's latest Bracketology, posted Monday, Lunardi also has the Spartans as a 10 seed, placing them in the East against No. 7 Iowa State. Lunardi has Michigan State listed No. 2 in "Last Four Byes," the grouping before the play-in games. Also, this was posted before the Spartans' win against Ohio State.
- CBS Sports' bracket expert, Jerry Palm, posted his most recent update Monday. He also has the Spartans off the bubble, as a 10 seed in the West up against No. 7 Southern Methodist. But Palm is still on the fence about MSU.
It's been a rough year for the young Spartans, who already have ten losses on the season. They have a few good wins, including a sweep of Minnesota and a win over Northwestern, but that is a lot of losses, especially with the difficult schedule still to come. Only seven teams in the 24 seasons that I have been tracking tournament selections have received at-large bids with 14 losses. MSU will need to finish well to avoid that number.
- Patrick Stevens of the Washington Post - surprise, surprise - has Michigan State as a No. 10 seed playing Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch's favorite team - No. 7 Saint Mary's - in the East.
- Delphi Bracketology, which won BracketMatrix.com's national contest last year and appeared on CBS Sports, follows suit with everyone else and has the Spartans as a 10 seed.
- SB Nation's Chris Dobbertean breaks the trend of putting the Spartans at 10, bumping them up to a No. 9 in the West to play Oklahoma State, with the winner getting No. 1 Gonzaga.
In the Big Ten, Minnesota won its third in a row, at Rutgers, to continue its move toward lock status. Meanwhile, Michigan State recovered nicely from a horrible Tuesday loss at Michigan to beat Iowa. On the other hand, Ohio State could have used a better performance at Maryland.
Follow digital sports producer Phil Friend on Twitter @Phil_Friend.