Michigan State basketball gets favorable region with 7-seed vs. USC

It’s official: Michigan State basketball has made its 25th straight NCAA Tournament appearance under Tom Izzo, a new head coaching record as he passes Coach K.

The Spartans finished the regular season with a 19-12 overall record and they’ll be looking for win No. 20 on Friday in Columbus against USC, the 10th seed in the East Region. The Spartans earned the 7-seed after flirting with the 6-seed for the final couple of weeks when they were red-hot offensively. This is a good draw for Michigan State.

If Michigan State can get past USC in the first round, it’ll get a shot against the lowest-rated No. 2 seed in Marquette. If they win both of those games and head to the Sweet 16, they could get a chance to face Kentucky or Kansas State and the Spartans already have a win over the former.

Purdue is the 1-seed in this region with Duke as the 5-seed and a short-handed Tennessee is the 4-seed which will make this region somewhat favorable for the Spartans.

Michigan State basketball is good enough to make a run

I’ve said this for weeks now: Michigan State is good enough to beat anyone and inconsistent enough to lose to anyone.

We’ve seen the Spartans hang with or beat some of the best teams this season such as Alabama, Gonzaga, Purdue, and Indiana. They haven’t really looked overmatched in any game against a top team unless you’re counting that Purdue game in West Lafayette, but that one has been erased from my memory like every single road game against the Boilermakers.

This team has elite guard play, really good shooters, and a top-notch defense.

If Michigan State plays to its potential, it’ll be a handful for USC, Marquette, and Kentucky or Kansas State.