Michigan State basketball somehow gets a 9-seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament

I'm not sweating, you're sweating. After about 40 minutes of Sunday's Selection Show, Michigan State basketball was announced as the 9-seed in the West Region, facing Mississippi State in the first round.

How is this possible? Honestly, no one really knows.

We saw teams like Gonzaga and FAU get over-seeded, so Michigan State joined the mix, getting the 9-seed in the West when it felt like everyone had the Spartans as the 10-seed or in the First Four. No one was expecting the Spartans to make the tournament after seeing the first three regions announced with teams like Virginia, Colorado, and Colorado State getting in comfortably, but of course they were announced in the final region.

While the 9-seed is a nice surprise, it's also a tough matchup as Mississippi State got hot in the SEC Tournament and North Carolina would be the second-round matchup if the Spartans win.

North Carolina lost in the ACC title game but the Tar Heels have been one of the hottest teams in college basketball this season with the conference player of the year in RJ Davis and a tough big man in Armando Bacot. It will be a tough matchup if the Spartans can advance to the Round of 32, but Tom Izzo has pulled off crazier wins before.

There was a reason Michigan State was a top-five team to start the season and I won't be shocked if they play like it in the Big Dance like they did against Minnesota and Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament.

Breathe easy, folks. Michigan State is in for the 26th straight year. The streak continues.