It's that time of year again, folks, and for the first time in a few seasons, Michigan State basketball won't be sweating things out on Selection Sunday, earning what looks to be a 2-seed in the upcoming NCAA Tournament, barring a meltdown in the final game of the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament.
With Michigan State likely being a 2-seed, that means that its road to a potential Final Four should be lightened up a bit compared to the past few seasons when they were anywhere from a No. 7 seed to the First Four, right?
Wrong.
This year's tournament field will be a little weird. Michigan State is part of the top-heaviness of college basketball, but there are a lot of teams in that 6-10-seed range that have a ton of talent but didn't live up to expectations this year. Teams like Illinois, Kansas, Ole Miss, Baylor, Gonzaga, and UConn all come to mind. Those teams won't be fun to face in round two.
So what would a nightmare region look like on Selection Sunday for the Spartans? I've got you covered from the 1-seed all the way down to the 16 (sort of). I'll even draw this out as if Michigan State somehow got shafted and got the 3-seed.
1: Duke
2: Alabama
3: Michigan State
4: Kentucky
5: Missouri
6: Memphis
7: Illinois
8: Kansas
9: UConn
10: Baylor
11: Arkansas
12: Drake
13: High Point
14: Utah Valley
15: Central Connecticut
16: Doesn't much matter
OK, so I'll admit, I had to do some quick research about High Point, Utah Valley, and Central Connecticut, and those teams seem to be the best on their seed lines and would give Michigan State the most trouble. As for the rest of the field, that's a nightmare scenario 1-12.
It was tough to pick between Duke and Auburn but obviously the former has had Tom Izzo's number throughout his career. Plus, this is easily the best Duke team since the Zion Williamson squad (yes, I know how they fell).
Alabama can score 10 points in 30 seconds and not break a sweat. Kentucky and Missouri are just as pesky as they come from the SEC. Memphis beat MSU earlier this year and its length would be an issue. Illinois is uber-talented, just had a bit of a drought. Kansas is Kansas. UConn is UConn. Baylor is solid. Arkansas is a team that scares me because of its talent and coaching. And Drake is a really, really good mid-major.
If I had to draw up a nightmare region for Michigan State, this would be it.