Michigan State fans, get ready for potentially the longest week of your entire lives.
The tipoff times for the Sweet 16 have been announced, and Michigan State is going to be the second-to-last game of the round which means if the Spartans win, they’ll probably get the final game of the weekend, just prolonging everything.
The ideal time to play would be the first game on the first day (7:10 p.m. on Thursday) but Michigan State got too lucky over the first weekend with two early games on the first day of each round.
According to a release, Michigan State will face the winner of the UConn vs. UCLA game at 9:45 p.m. ET on Friday night. That means, like I already said, that the Spartans will get the second-to-last game of the Sweet 16 and potentially the final game of the Elite Eight if they can beat the Bruins or Huskies.
The Spartans will play on CBS with a really good crew on the call, which will make up for it, but getting one of the last games on the second day is nightmare scenario No. 1 for fans.
Playing the game before is obviously Duke vs. St. John’s which would decide who the Spartans face if they end up beating UConn or UCLA. That game will be at 7:10 p.m. ET.
Misery loves company, so Michigan fans, too, will have to wait until Day 2. The Wolverines play the winner of Texas Tech vs. Alabama at 7:35 p.m. ET.
There’s potentially nothing worse than seeing seven teams already advance to the Elite Eight and having to hope that your team is No. 8. Not one thing.
The Big Ten is well-represented in the Sweet 16
Along the Spartans and the aforementioned Michigan Wolverines, Illinois, Nebraska, Purdue, and even Iowa (who shocked Florida) are all headed to the Sweet 16 next weekend. That might not be it either seeing as UCLA is playing the late game against UConn on Sunday night.
Michigan State could face a Big Ten team in the Sweet 16, the Final Four, and the national title game if it were to make it all the way. Tom Izzo would probably love a run against familiar foes.
That run starts on Friday night at 9:45 p.m. ET