Michigan
Where is Michigan State basketball in March Madness bracketology?
One week remains in the regular season. And Michigan State basketball is right where Tom Izzo almost always has his program.
With an NCAA tournament berth all but assured. And in the lead for a Big Ten title.
The Spartans could wrap up a share of the league crown Wednesday if Michigan loses at home to Maryland. If that happens, Izzo could claim his fourth outright championship with a win Thursday at Iowa.
There is more at stake beyond the regular season in the coming days, though: a potential No. 1 seed in March Madness.
The Spartans (24-5, 15-3 Big Ten) continue to roll with a five-game win streak all coming against Quad 1 opponents, and they are angling for Izzo’s fifth top seed in what will be his record 27th straight Big Dance appearance. MSU’s last No. 1 seed came in 2012, a run that ended with a Sweet 16 loss to Louisville; the other three (1999, 2000, 2001) resulted in three straight Final Four appearances and Izzo’s only national title.
A loss to the struggling Hawkeyes (15-14, 6-12) could prove catastrophic to that pursuit for one of the top four spots on Selection Sunday. But if the Spartans win to secure at least a share of the Big Ten’s regular-season title in Iowa City, they will return home with an opportunity to bolster their case for a No. 1 seed with a season sweep of the Wolverines (22-7, 14-4), whose league title hopes are fading after losing Sunday at home to Illinois. Maryland (22-7, 12-6) provides another challenge Wednesday.
The importance of Sunday’s rivalry renewal will be known by Friday morning. And then comes the Big Ten tournament in Indianapolis, where the Spartans won’t play until Day 3 in the quarterfinal on March 14, needing three more victories to extend Izzo’s tourney title record to seven and secure the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament on Selection Sunday.
Let’s look at MSU’s résumé entering the week:
Michigan State basketball March Madness bracketology
There are a number of criteria the NCAA tournament selection committee looks at in order to make its assessment in addition to subjective assessments like the “eyeball test.” Among them:
Record: The team’s overall record, conference record and nonconference record.
Strength of schedule: The strength of the teams the team played against.
Head-to-head results: The results of games between the teams being compared.
Conference championships: The number of conference championships won.
Common opponents: The results of games against common opponents.
Adjusted Net Efficiency (NET): A measure of a team’s overall performance during the regular season.
Team Value Index: A results-oriented component of the NET that ranks teams based on who they beat and where they played.
Rating Percentage Index (RPI): A computer program that calculates a team’s winning percentage, opponents’ success and opponents’ strength of schedule.
Michigan State NET rankings: No. 11 (began last week No. 14)
All rankings through Sunday’s games.
Quad 1 record: 10-3
Quad 2 record: 5-2
Quad 3 record: 4-0
Quad 4 record: 5-0
Michigan State KenPom rankings: No. 9 (began last week No. 10)
All rankings through Sunday’s games.
Offensive efficiency: No. 32
Defensive efficiency: No. 5
Michigan State bracketology projections
USA TODAY: 2-seed in Midwest Region: Indianapolis (as of Feb. 28)
ESPN: 2-seed in South Region: Atlanta (as of Feb. 28)
CBS: 2-seed in South Region: Atlanta (as of March 2)
Fox Sports: 2-seed (as of March 2)
On3: 2-seed in South Region: Atlanta (as of March 2)
BracketMatrix.com: 2-seed (as of March 2)
Michigan State basketball schedule this week
Thursday: at Iowa (15-14, 6-12), 8 p.m., FS1, Iowa City.
Sunday: Michigan (22-7, 14-4), noon, CBS, East Lansing.
Michigan State basketball scores last week
Feb. 26: 58-55 road win at Maryland – The Spartans trailed by two at halftime in a game that went back and forth all night. The Terrapins had a chance in the waning seconds after a Jaxon Kohler missed layup, but Ja’Kobi Gillespie’s 3-point attempt clanged off the rim. It kicked hard to Kohler who flipped it to Tre Holloman, who launched a 60-foot swish for a 3-pointer to win it as the buzzer sounded. The Spartans overcame another poor shooting performance by smothering Maryland to 4-for-20 from 3-point range and outrebounding the Terps, 45-33, and got 10 second-chance points on 13 offensive boards to Maryland’s zero on just four offensive rebounds. Jase Richardson led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points as MSU also had a 23-0 bench scoring advantage.
March 2: 71-62 home win over No. 11 Wisconsin – As they did at Maryland, the Spartans got points from all 10 players in the regular rotation for the 18th time this season. Jaden Akins broke a shooting slump with four first-half 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 19 points, but it was the senior’s defense on Badgers star John Tonje (3-for-13, 11 points) that made the biggest impact. Richardson added 11 points, while Kohler set a career high with 16 rebounds, tying his personal best seven on the offensive glass, and added 10 points for his seventh double-double this season. It was MSU’s fifth straight win and sixth in the past seven games.
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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KALAMAZOO, Mich. — June 19th is also Juneteenth, which signifies when the final African-American slaves in the United States learned of their freedom in Galveston, Texas, in 1865.
It became a federal holiday in 2021, and it’s celebrated strongly in West Michigan.
In Kalamazoo, there will be festivities in Bronson Park from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, including food, dancing, and music.
“That’s very typical of how African Americans or people from the African diaspora celebrate,” said Dr. Sherrie Fuller, Director of Education & Training in the Vice President’s Area for Diversity and Inclusion. “It’s always food, it’s always dance, it’s all this music and it’s festive.”
This Juneteenth is a reminder of how far Black Americans have come, but a difficult reminder that there is still a long way to go for equality.
This week, a Black teenager was handcuffed and detained in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Battle Creek.
The boy’s family accused the officer of racial profiling, and the Battle Creek Police chief stands by his actions.
Dr. L.E. Johnson II of the Center for Afrocentric Thought was disgusted by the officer’s actions.
“What type of bias and prejudice are we dealing with here?” Dr. Johnson II said. “What that officer did was put blight on a legacy of a community that has worked hard to make things better for everybody. It was horrible what he did. He should be ashamed. He should be ashamed.”
Western Michigan University hosted a performance from Rootead on Friday afternoon at the multicultural center at the Trimpe Building.
Performers danced and played drums, focusing on their cultural roots.
“I believe people were able to have an opportunity to just kind of reflect on what the purpose of Juneteenth or the celebration of the holiday is all about, so it’s phenomenal,” said Dr. Fuller.
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Battle Creek will have a Juneteenth family day at Claude Evans Park on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Friday is Juneteenth. The long-celebrated holiday, which was officially declared a federal holiday in 2021, marks the day in 1865 when enslaved Americans in Galveston, Texas, learned they were free — two years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
In Grand Rapids, a parade steps off at noon at the corner of Eastern and Hall. It will head to Dickinson Buffer Park, where an opening ceremony gets underway at 1 p.m. The celebration continues until the evening and will feature food, vendors and activities for kids.
Organizers say it’s important to recognize Juneteenth.
“We cannot properly deal with and accept our future if we don’t understand our past,” said Rhaeven Richardson with West Michigan Jewels of Africa. “So it’s very important for us to come together and bring notoriety for what Juneteenth stands for and how important it is — not just for people of color, but for everyone in this country.”
There are plenty of other Juneteenth events happening in Grand Rapids and around West Michigan. For a full list, click here.
LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) is launching the L.E.A.D. Academy, a new leadership development program set to begin this fall as part of the department’s Safe Prisons Initiative.
L.E.A.D. Academy stands for Learn Today, Empower Tomorrow, Aspire Beyond, Develop a Legacy.
Officials say the program is a four-phase leadership development pathway designed to support employee growth at every stage of a career, and intends to advance training and staff support goals by preparing employees to lead “with skill, integrity and professionalism.”
“Our workforce is constantly evolving, and it is more important than ever that we are supporting our emerging leaders in a way that will create change-makers and thought-leaders in the correctional field,” MDOC Director Heidi E. Washington said. “Well-trained professional staff create safe facilities by stepping above the status quo to challenge themselves, and those around them, to go above and beyond.”
MDOC partnered with Michigan State University to develop the program’s curriculum, focusing on leadership principles applied specifically to the corrections environment.
According to the MDOC, the program emphasizes daily conduct, communication, presence and professionalism as factors that can influence others and contribute to safer facilities.
“The curriculum is designed to help participants develop practical leadership skills rooted in communication, emotional intelligence, professionalism, and ethical decision-making,” Vivian Aranda-Hughes, an assistant professor in MSU’s School of Criminal Justice, said. “We are excited to support a program that invests in people and recognizes that leadership is demonstrated through the choices, actions, and influence individuals bring to their work every day.”
Applicants for the L.E.A.D. Academy will be selected through a formal review process after applying for the program, according to the MDOC.
To be eligible, applicants must meet the following requirements: one year of MDOC employment, attainment of satisfactory status during the initial probationary period, and full commitment to the program, including assignments outside the classroom.
Officials say the L.E.A.D. Academy is a key component of the state’s Safe Prisons Initiative, which was launched in March to improve safety and security across MDOC’s 26 prisons.
More information about MDOC’s Safe Prisons Initiative can be found online.
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