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Michigan State basketball proves to be anything but 3-seed vs. Minnesota

By Connor Muldowney

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 31: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts to a play during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second half at Breslin Center on January 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 31: Miles Bridges #22 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts to a play during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions in the second half at Breslin Center on January 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State had no trouble taking care of Minnesota on the road and proved to be anything but what the NCAA selection committee labeled it as.

It was one of those games. Michigan State could do no wrong and Minnesota was playing catch-up all night long to no avail. Tom Izzo was pleased with his team’s performance, for the most part, but said afterward that “I don’t really care” about the NCAA Tournament seeding projections.

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In case you’ve been living under a rock, Michigan State was recently handed a 3-seed projection by the selection committee who came out with an early top-16 on Sunday afternoon. Not only were the Spartans a No. 3 seed, but they were listed as the 11th-best team in the country.

No, that’s not a typo. Michigan State was No. 11 in the committee’s eyes.

That same Michigan State team just improved to 25-3 for the first time in school history with a lopsided 30-point win over Minnesota on the road.

Sure, Minnesota has been awful lately, losing eight straight games now, but winning on the road in the Big Ten isn’t easy, but Michigan State continues to get it done away from East Lansing. In fact, the Spartans have won road games in hostile environments against Indiana, Maryland, Iowa and now Minnesota in recent weeks, improving to 13-2 in the Big Ten.

This is a down year for the conference, but that hasn’t made winning on the road any easier.

Michigan State, led by Jaren Jackson Jr.’s career-high 27 points, routed the Golden Gophers and made it look easy. This could have been looked at as a potential trap game, but the Spartans took care of business and continue to win as the No. 2 team in college basketball, per the AP Top 25.

Next: MSU Basketball: 5 bold predictions for February

On a night when Miles Bridges was non-existent on the offensive end and Josh Langford only had six points, the Spartans were able to toy with Minnesota on their way to a 30-point blowout. Tell me this team isn’t worthy of a No. 1 or No. 2 seed and I’ll tell you to open your eyes.

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