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Is Michigan State safe from the NCAA Tournament bubble? Selection Sunday anxiety builds

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Is Michigan State safe from the NCAA Tournament bubble? Selection Sunday anxiety builds


East Lansing, Mich. – When Michigan State played Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals on Friday, it didn’t feel like a must-win situation, but it might have been.

The Spartans wake up this morning in a more precarious NCAA Tournament bubble predicament than most observers anticipated.

At stake is Michigan State’s streak of 25 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. That’s the third longest in college basketball history. The Spartans can overtake North Carolina’s streak of 27 and post the second-longest streak in history if the Spartans make The Big Dance this year and the next two years. 

Tom Izzo’s streak of 25 consecutive appearances is the most by any coach in the history of the game. 

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Those streaks are on the line today as the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee meets to decide the fate of several bubble teams, one of which is Michigan State. This will likely be the most uneasy Selection Sunday of the past 26 years for Izzo and Michigan State.

With North Carolina State winning the ACC’s automatic bid and Oregon winning the Pac-12’s automatic bid, those two surprise teams stole bids from teams that were previously on the bubble. That means teams that weren’t on the bubble a couple of days ago have been bumped down a couple of pegs into the danger zone – and Michigan State is one of them.

ESPN’s Joe Lunardi had Michigan State comfortably in the tournament two days ago. But now he has the Spartans as one of the “last four in.” He has the Spartans a notch below TCU, and a notch ahead of Oklahoma and Colorado. That’s a thin margin of error for Michigan State. 

Lunardi is well-respected for his projections, but there are occasionally Selection Sunday surprises, enough to make Spartans fans sweat when the brackets are announced at 6 p.m. on Sunday. 

Lunardi has Michigan State playing Oklahoma in a “First Four” game in Dayton, for the right to play No. 7 seed Gonzaga in Salt Lake City. The survivor would face No. 2 seed Arizona if the chalk holds.

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CBS’s Jerry Palm has the Spartans somewhat comfortably in as a No. 10 seed. He has Dayton, St. John’s, Northwestern and Texas A&M as the last four in. He has Pitt, Colorado, Virginia and Seton Hall as the first four out. 

Lunardi has St. John’s, Virginia, Seton Hall and Indiana State as the “first four out.” 

Lunardi and Palm disagree about their first four out and last four in – again, enough to make Michigan State fans squeamish about a lack of consensus. 

The NET ranking is a key metric to keep an eye on. That’s a ranking the NCAA Selection Committee has valued above all others in recent years. No team ranked outside the Top 30 in the NET has ever failed to get an NCAA Tournament bid. But that could change this year.

Michigan State has a strong No. 25 ranking in the NET. Colorado is No. 24. Indiana State is No. 30, and both major bracketologists are projecting that the Sycamores aren’t going to make the field. 

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Dayton appears strong at No. 23 in the NET with a 24-7 record. 

Northwestern had a better Big Ten season than Michigan State but has a NET ranking of No. 54, due in part to a non-conference strength of schedule which ranks No. 330, compared to Michigan State’s No. 44.

St. John’s (No. 34), Seton Hall (No. 66) and Virginia (No. 55), each of whom Lunardi has out, don’t have strong NET rankings.

Palm has St. John’s and Northwestern in. He has Pitt (No. 41 in the NET) and Colorado (No. 24 in the NET) out. 

Colorado out with a No. 24 NET? Again, these conflicting interpretations are enough to cause Spartan palpitations. The comparisons are dizzying. 

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Palm seems to be the bracketologist who is most bullish on Michigan State. He has the Spartans playing against No. 7 Gonzaga in Omaha, with the winner playing No. 2 seed Iowa State if the chalk holds. 

Playing Iowa State in Omaha would be a major problem for any team. Iowa State is red hot after racing through the Big 12 Conference Tournament and has a huge fan following that will travel to Omaha in large, loud numbers. 

Iowa State will have a home court advantage against whichever team it faces in the Second Round. That would be a difficult date for Michigan State, but one that most Spartan fans would accept, if they could, considering the air of uncertainty that will accompany Selection Sunday’s bracket announcements. 

Tom Izzo (Photo by Junfu Han | USA Today Network).



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Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore

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Legal experts question University of Michigan’s role after charges against former HC Sherrone Moore


WASHTENAW COUNTY, Mich. – Former Michigan Wolverines head football coach Sherrone Moore appeared in court Friday on charges of stalking, home invasion, and breaking and entering, just days after being fired from his position.

The 39-year-old coach, who has no prior criminal history, was terminated by the university on Wednesday following an investigation that uncovered evidence of an inappropriate relationship with a staff member.

According to prosecutors, the charges stem from an incident that occurred after the victim, a University of Michigan staff member, ended her relationship with Moore on Monday (Dec. 8).

Following the breakup, Moore allegedly made numerous unwanted calls and texts to the victim.

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The situation escalated on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2025, when Moore allegedly forced his way into the victim’s Pittsfield Township apartment.

Prosecutors say he grabbed kitchen utensils and threatened to take his own life, allegedly telling the victim, “My blood is on your hands.”

“The totality of the behavior is highly threatening and highly intimidating. She was terrorized, your honor,” a prosecutor told the court during Friday’s arraignment.

Defense attorney Joseph Simon pushed back on prosecutors’ claims that Moore could be a threat to public safety.

“My client’s 39 years old, with zero prior criminal history, zero prior contact with the criminal justice system in any fashion,” Simon stated.

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Attorney Todd Flood, who practices both criminal defense and civil litigation, said the fallout within the university could continue depending on when the organization was first alerted about the relationship and how university athletic officials first responded.

“What did they know, when did they know it, and what did they do about it when they found out? Those are going to be the three major questions,” Flood said.

“The university could possibly have some culpability there, that they didn’t put a stop to this,” noted Flood, adding that the victim may have grounds to pursue action against both the university and Moore.

Flood said the stalking charge against Moore likely stems from a documented pattern of harassment.

“When there is a position where he is harassing, either via text messages, harassing via telephone calls, social media content, or showing up at a place where he doesn’t belong,” Flood said. “Those stalking charges are ones where you can show that pattern of conduct.”

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“He’s ultimately going to probably plead this case out, under some sort of either misdemeanor, or something that gives probation,” Flood said.

Moore posted his $25,000 bond Friday.

As part of his bond conditions, he must wear a GPS tether, undergo mental health treatment, and have no contact with the victim.

He is scheduled to appear in court in person on Jan. 22.

–> Jim Harbaugh talks Sherrone Moore’s firing, arrest after former Michigan football understudy posts bond

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What we’re hearing in Michigan football coach search: News, rumors

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What we’re hearing in Michigan football coach search: News, rumors


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With the firing of Sherrone Moore on Wednesday, Dec. 10, Michigan football is on the hunt for a new head coach.

It’s extremely late in the hiring cycle, with nearly every Power Four squad with an opening already having made a hire. But the Wolverines’ maize-and-blue brand could be strong enough to restart the coaching carousel, with several established coaches considered potential candidates for the U-M job.

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It’ll be athletic director Warde Manuel’s call on the hire (with the usual inputs from donors and regents), despite rumors swirling on social media of his firing.

Here’s the latest on the Michigan football coaching search:

A former Notre Dame QB as Michigan football’s next head coach?

It’s possible.

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Michigan football is reportedly interested in talking to Rees, according to Cleveland.com, who starred as a quarterback at Notre Dame. He moved up the coaching ranks fast, getting his big break as offensive coordinator with Notre Dame in 2020, where he served in the role for three years before moving to Alabama to be the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide in Nick Saban’s last year. He has spent the last two years with the Browns, first as a passing game specialist and then as offensive coordinator this year.

Rees also reportedly talked to Penn State before the Nittany Lions landed on Iowa State coach Matt Campbell.

It’s an interesting proposition, as Rees is seen as an up-and-coming young coach, but it can be wonky trying to hire NFL coaches into the college game due to the schedule. But in this circumstance, it just might work. The Browns are out of playoff contention so their season should drag out, and Michigan is in a position to wait longer than normal because early signing day for recruits is over and the transfer portal won’t open until January.

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It’s early.

Michigan still has time to make a case.

But according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, there’s “no indication” that Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, one of the hottest names in connection to the Wolverines, has an interest in taking the job in Ann Arbor.

DeBoer, who has Alabama in the 12-team College Football Playoff, was also briefly connected to Penn State earlier this offseason and quickly shot that down.

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But never say never in college football in 2025.

If Michigan is looking to swing big for its third head coach in four seasons (or seventh, if you count the interims who served during Moore’s and Jim Harbaugh’s suspensions), the Free Press’ Tony Garcia broke down four big names, including a couple with established ties to Ann Arbor, one who couldn’t quite beat the Wolverines and another who’s the darling of the college football world.

Check out that list of candidates here.



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Bullough’s back: Ex-linebacker to be Michigan State co-defensive coordinator

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Bullough’s back: Ex-linebacker to be Michigan State co-defensive coordinator


A fan-favorite Spartan is coming back as an assistant coach.Max Bullough, a former MSU linebacker who has spent the past two seasons coaching linebackers at Notre Dame, is coming back to East Lansing to be a co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Bullough confirmed in a biography change on X (formerly Twitter).

The move is a promotion for Bullough, who was a linebackers coach at Notre Dame the past two seasons. Bullough will serve alongside incumbent MSU defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, who The Detroit News confirmed last week is staying on Pat Fitzgerald’s first staff in East Lansing. Fitzgerald replaced Jonathan Smith, who went 5-19, 4-14 Big Ten in two seasons.Bullough, 33, played for Michigan State from 2010 to 2013, under head coach Mark Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. He played immediately as a freshman and appeared in 53 college games, logging 284 tackles, eight sacks and three interceptions.

He missed his final game — the 100th Rose Bowl against Stanford in 2013 — because of an unspecified violation of team rules. He never spoke publicly on the issue, though he was asked at the NFL Combine.Michigan State went 42-12 in Bullough’s four seasons with the Spartans, and 25-7 in Big Ten play, including the conference title in 2010 and 2013.After a brief NFL career with the Houston Texans and, in 2018, a stint on the Cleveland Browns’ practice squad, Bullough got into coaching. He served as grad assistant for Cincinnati in 2019 under Luke Fickell, Alabama from 2020 to 2022 under Nick Saban (winning the College Football Playoff in his first year) and Notre Dame under Marcus Freeman in 2023. Freeman kept Bullough on as his linebackers coach last year, a season in which the Irish made it to the national championship game before losing to Ohio State.

Earlier this season, Bullough went viral in August for a video of him describing his detail-oriented approach during fall camp, citing knee bend and square tackling “when the s—‘s hard.”

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Notre Dame finished the season 10-2, on a 10-game win streak, when it was left just outside the College Football Playoff bracket. Freeman and his team opted out of a bowl game, after terse words on the snub from AD Pete Bevacqua.Bullough coached a number of NFL draft picks in his career, including Dallas Turner (Minnesota Vikings), Christian Harris (Houston Texans), Henry To’oTo’o (Houston), Drew Sanders (Denver Broncos) and Jack Kiser (Jacksonville Jaguars).

Bullough won’t be the first in his family to coach at Michigan State. His grandfather, Hank, was an MSU guard and linebacker who won a national championship in 1952. Hank was also a well-regarded assistant coach on Duffy Daugherty’s staff from 1959 to 1969, including the national title teams in 1965 and 1966. He then went onto a pro coaching career that included stops with seven teams, including a head coaching tenure with the Buffalo Bills from 1985 to 1986.

After a year as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator in 1993, he finished his coaching career with a homecoming to Michigan State, where he was an assistant on George Perles’ final team. He died in 2019.

cearegood@detroitnews.com

@ConnorEaregood

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