Even though most Michigan State fans are not happy about where the Spartans are seeded in this year's NCAA Tournament, there is a silver lining to be had in all of this. After falling in their lone Big Ten Tournament game this March at the hands of UCLA, Michigan State dropped from a high-end No. 2 seed, all the way to a No. 3. The good news, if any, is who they will be playing first up this weekend...
Michigan State will be taking on North Dakota State in their No. 3 vs. No. 14 first-round game in the East Region. Tipoff will be at 4:05 p.m. ET, which is way better than tipping off closer to midnight... Regardless of tip-off time and the seeding of these two respective teams, have you seen the betting odds for this Round of 64 contest? Michigan State will be able to lallygag into the second round...
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Michigan State is a gargantuan 16.5-point favorite over North Dakota State on a neutral site. The associated moneylines are Michigan State -3000 and North Dakota State at +1200. The projected point total comes in at a combined 143.5 points. Going off that, we are looking at a potential final score of something like Michigan State 80, North Dakota State 63.5.
As long as Michigan State does not spontaneously combust on the hardwood, the Spartans got this!
Michigan State fans can totally look ahead to its second round game now
Yes, there are other sizable point spreads scattered all throughout the first round of the NCAA Tournament. However, Michigan State has long been built to win in March. This may be a great year for the Bison on the hardwood, but they are a football school in every sense of the word. Let's be real. A first-round loss to North Dakota State would send shockwaves through the entire basketball world.
Right now, Michigan State is not going to have to do much to get to the Round of 32. Assuming they do beat the Bison like they should, the Spartans will take on the winner of the No. 6 vs. No. 11 game in the East Region between Louisville and South Florida. The Bulls might be playing with a ton of momentum now out of The American, but we all know that Louisville is a total blue-blood in this sport.
Overall, Michigan State could meet its match in the Sweet 16 with No. 2 UConn looming large. Should they get past the No. 10 UCF Knights in their first-round game, guess who could be playing UConn in the Round of 32? That would be No. 7 UCLA, the same team that ended Michigan State's run in the Big Ten Tournament. Does Michigan State want to face the Bruins again? Let's get past NDSU first...
At this time, Michigan State is good enough to play in the second weekend of this year's tournament.