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:
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.
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
All rankings through Sunday’s games.
Offensive efficiency: No. 32
Defensive efficiency: No. 5
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)
Thursday: at Iowa (15-14, 6-12), 8 p.m., FS1, Iowa City.
Sunday: Michigan (22-7, 14-4), noon, CBS, East Lansing.
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.
Subscribe to the “Spartan Speak” podcast for new episodes weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or anywhere you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.
HOUGHTON COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) — A Michigan State Police trooper who helped save a woman’s life during a medical emergency in August reunited with her this week, months after she survived sudden cardiac arrest at a Hancock-area campground.
Trooper Lucas Lahnala, assigned to the MSP Calumet Post, met Thursday, November 13, with Rosie Danley, the camper he helped revive in August after she collapsed without warning.
MSP said Rosie was camping with family when she went into sudden cardiac arrest and became unresponsive. Lahnala was on duty nearby and rushed to the scene, where he found Rosie’s son already attempting to help her. The trooper immediately began CPR and connected her to an AED. After several minutes of life-saving efforts, EMS arrived, took over care, and transported her to the hospital.
Although medics were able to regain her pulse, early signs pointed to a grim prognosis. But Rosie not only survived, she has since made a full recovery and is back to work as a nurse.
“I’m really happy I was able to be involved and help,” Lahnala said. “As troopers, we respond to emergencies every day, but moments like this remind us why we do what we do. Seeing Rosie healthy and smiling means everything.”
Rosie expressed her deep gratitude to everyone involved. “On behalf of myself, my husband, four kids and thirteen grandkids, I would like to thank Tpr. Lahnala for being one of my heroes,” she said. “He was a Godsend in my life on Aug. 5. God had a plan, and he is part of my miracle story.”
MSP Calumet Post Commander F/Lt. Jason Wickstrom praised Lahnala’s actions, calling them an example of the life-saving work law enforcement performs every day.
“It’s very rewarding when we can share a story that has such a positive outcome and meet the people we have helped,” he said.
The department extended its thanks to Rosie’s son, EMS crews, medical staff, and MSP dispatchers who assisted. MSP also wished Rosie and her family continued health moving forward.
Seven Michigan high school marching bands are competing this weekend at the Bands of America grand nationals competition.
The competition is held each year in Indianapolis, Ind., at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Indianapolis Colts.
More than 100 high school marching bands will compete Thursday and Friday in the preliminary round of competition, then the top 32 bands will move on to the semifinal round on Saturday.
Only the top 12 bands will get the chance to perform their competition shows one last time Saturday night in the finals. Members of all 12 bands that make finals will receive medals for their accomplishments. The prize for the best band in the nation is a coveted eagle-shaped trophy.
On Thursday, three Michigan bands were scheduled to take the field throughout the day, including Huron Valley’s band at 9:45 a.m., Mt. Pleasant at 4:45 p.m. and Tri County at 8:30 p.m.
Friday, four more Michigan bands will perform in preliminary competition. Those ensembles are back-to-back state champions Walled Lake at 1:15 p.m., Rockford at 3 p.m., state champion Jenison at 4:30 p.m. and Plymouth-Canton at 6 p.m.
Additionally, the Michigan State University Spartan Marching Band will be performing in exhibition at the competition at 8:45 p.m. Friday night. The Spartan Marching Band will be performing a show of popular Broadway hits.
The Michigan high school bands will be competing against marching bands from states including Texas, Indiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio, and, for only the second time ever, Alaska.
Marching bands will be judged on their music, their marching, their visual storytelling and more. Each band has been working since the early summer to perfect their 8-12 minute show, often featuring choreography, complex themes, props, costume changes and more.
To watch a livestream of the Bands of America Grand Nationals competition, visit the event website here. It is a paid livestream, with costs depending on which day and round of competition. To watch Thursday or Friday prelims, it is $20 per day. It costs $27 to watch semifinals on Saturday and another $32 to watch finals. To watch all rounds of competition, viewers can buy a $68 package.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
1/18
Washtenaw County residents protest Michigan Medicine’s overhaul on gender-affirming care
ANN ARBOR, MI — JJ McKillop, leader of the LGBTQ+ teenage group True Hope, was willing to bear about 45-degree temperatures Wednesday in Ann Arbor to protest her alma mater.
McKillop, a parent of a transgender child and 1994 graduate of the University of Michigan, said she is “ashamed” by Michigan Medicine’s August decision to end gender-affirming care for minors.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Where to watch Nebraska vs UCLA today: Time, TV channel for Week 11 game
Half-naked woman was allegedly tortured and chained in Texas backyard for months by five ‘friends’ who didn’t ‘like her anymore’
Missing Kapolei man found in Waipio, attorney says
Northern Lights to dazzle skies across these US states tonight – from Washington to Vermont to Maine | Today News
Texas launches effort to install TPUSA in every high school and college
Police investigate car collision, shooting in Orange, New Jersey
Israel’s focus on political drama rather than Palestinian rape victim
Search for coal miner trapped in flooded West Virginia mine continues for third day
