Michigan State basketball plays first March Madness 2025 game today. Here's what to know.
The Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team makes its 27th straight
NCAA Tournament
appearance on Friday when it takes on the Bryant Bulldogs in a first-round matchup in the South region.
The Spartans (27-6) earned the No. 2 seed and will face the No. 15 seed Bryant (23-11) in Cleveland, Ohio.
MSU's streak of 27 consecutive tournament appearances is a Big Ten record and the second longest-active in the NCAA.
MSU
lost to Wisconsin
, 77-74, in Saturday's Big Ten Tournament semifinal.
The Bulldogs won both the America East regular season and tournament titles. This is Bryant's second NCAA Division I tournament appearance and the first since 2022.
What time does Michigan State play?
Tip-off for Friday's first-round game from Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, tips off at 10 p.m. ET.
You can watch Friday's game at 10 p.m. ET on TBS.
Michigan State is a two-time national champion. It won its first title in 1979 under legendary coach Jud Heathcote and a Magic Johnson-led team. The Spartans won it all again in 2000, with Mateen Cleeves and Morris Peterson leading the way in a win over Florida.
Michigan State also finished as a national runner-up in 2009, when it lost to North Carolina in a championship game played at Ford Field in Detroit.
The Spartans have made 38 NCAA Tournament appearances and have the sixth-most Final Four appearances with 10 (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019). Michigan State has reached the Sweet 16 on 21 occasions, including in 2023.
Michigan State has posted a 73-36 record in the NCAA Tournament. The Spartans have advanced past either the First Four or First Round each of the last three years.
FanDuel Sportsbook projects Michigan State as a 16.5-point favorite. The over/under is set at 152.5.
This is the first all-time meeting between the two schools.
The Spartans are led by senior guard Jaden Akins and freshman guard Jase Richardson, who average 12.7 and 12 points per game, respectively.
Senior guard Rafael Pinzon paces the Bulldogs at 18.5 points per game while fellow senior guard Earl Timberlake averages 15.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per contest.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Notre Dame Predicted to Suffer Recruiting Loss to Big Ten Powerhouse
Notre Dame Predicted to Suffer Recruiting Loss to Big Ten Powerhouse originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish and head coach Marcus Freeman have put together a strong 2026 recruiting class, consisting of 16 total commitments, ranking No. 4 in the nation, according to On3. Advertisement Despite already having a handful of talented players, it's clear they aren't done yet and one name they've been making an impression on is EDGE McHale Blade, whom they've hosted six times and have an official visit scheduled for June 20. They could certainly come out on top, as he's down to his top seven schools, choosing between the Michigan Wolverines, Wisconsin Badgers, Purdue Boilermakers, Stanford Cardinal, USC Trojans, Illinois Fighting Illini and Notre Dame Unfortunately for the Fighting Irish, though, on Monday, On3's Steve Wiltfong logged an expert prediction for Blade to land with the Wolverines, which he just took an official visit with on Friday. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman.© Michael Clubb/South Bend Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images This would no doubt be unfortunate for Notre Dame, but a big win for Michigan, as On3 Industry Rankings have Blade as a four-star recruit, the No. 21 EDGE, the No. 4 player in Illinois and the No. 155 player in the nation. Advertisement In his sophomore season for Simeon High School, he put up decent numbers, appearing in seven games, accumulating 22 tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and six hurries. Of his other top schools, he has also already taken official visits with the Boilermakers (May 24) and the Badgers (May 30), while having one scheduled with the Trojans (June 13), so his options are wide open. If Blade does end up with Michigan, though, he could prove to be a key piece to its recruiting class, which ranks No. 5 in the Big Ten and No. 17 in the nation with a total of seven commitments. Luckily for Notre Dame, though, no matter what, they have already secured several other talented EDGE recruits, including five-star Rodney Dunham and four-star Ebenezer Ewetade. Related: Elite 5-Star Recruit Names Top School After Official Visit This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Michigan State baseball lands commitment from Oakland OF transfer, Macomb native
Michigan State baseball lands commitment from Oakland OF transfer, Macomb native Michigan State baseball is adding to their roster for the 2026 season, dipping into the transfer portal for a local product. Macomb (MI) native Trent Rice will be heading to Michigan State after spending two years with Oakland University. He will bring two years of eligibility with him to East Lansing. He played his high school baseball at Marine City Cardinal Mooney Catholic. Rice, a 5-foot-11 and 180 pound outfielder, is a speedster that is going to bring a dynamic element to the Spartans baseball program. In 2024, Rice appeared in 55 of 58 games for the Golden Grizzlies, having a slash line of .253/.355/.356 while recording two home runs and 22 RBIs. He stole 41 bases on 46 attempts, earning his way on the Horizon League All-Freshman team. He followed up his freshman performance with a very similar sophomore performance, slashing .253/.365/.390 with four homeruns and 29 RBIs. On the basepaths, he went 39-for-46 stealing bases. A welcomed, dynamic addition to the Spartans team. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on X @Cory_Linsner
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
College World Series will feature some Pac-12 nostalgia. ‘This is for the West,' UCLA coach says
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The ghosts of the old Pac-12 will be lurking at Charles Schwab Field this weekend when the College World Series opens. Oregon State, UCLA and Arizona will be back in Omaha, where they combined for seven of the 24 national baseball championships won by the conference. 'This is for the West,' UCLA coach John Savage said. The Pac-12 went all but dormant last July when 10 of its members dispersed to other conferences. The Pac-12 will ramp up again in July 2026 with holdovers Oregon State and Washington State joined by five members of the Mountain West Conference and one from the West Coast Conference. No. 8 national seed Oregon State (47-14-1) is in the first of two years as a baseball independent and had only 19 regular-season home games because of scheduling challenges. The Beavers played eight more at home in the NCAA Tournament — the maximum possible — after coming out of the loser's bracket to win their regional and beating Florida State in a three-game super regional. UCLA (47-16) was the Big Ten regular-season co-champion, made it to the conference tournament championship game and was 3-0 in its regional before it swept UTSA in its super regional. Arizona (44-19) tied for fourth in the Big 12, won the conference tournament and went 3-0 as the No. 2 regional seed in Eugene, Oregon. The Wildcats had to go to North Carolina for their super regional and lost 18-2 in the opener. They won the next two, beating the Tar Heels 4-3 in the finale after erasing a 3-1 deficit in the eighth inning. Three other former Pac-12 schools — Arizona State, Oregon and Southern California — didn't advance past regionals. Oregon State plays Louisville (40-22) and Arizona meets Coastal Carolina (53-11) on one side of the CWS bracket. UCLA squares off with either Duke (41-20) or Murray State (43-15) and LSU (48-15) takes on Arkansas (48-13), the only remaining SEC teams, on the other side. For LSU coach Jay Johnson, it will be old home week in Omaha. He's a California native who lived his entire life in the West before the Tigers hired him in June 2021. He coached at Nevada and Arizona, leading the Wildcats to the '21 CWS. 'I know the brand of baseball out there, something I'm proud of,' Johnson said. 'It's where I really cut my teeth against some of those great coaches, and it'll be fun to see them out there' in Omaha. Oregon State coach Mitch Canham was the catcher on the Pat Casey-coached teams that won national championships in 2006 and '07 at Rosenblatt Stadium. Casey and the Beavers also won the title at the current CWS stadium in 2018, when Canham was managing in the minor leagues. 'Omaha is in the Beaver blood, man,' Canham said. 'It'll be the first time stepping in that stadium for me and each and every one of these guys, other than Zak Taylor,' referring to his director of baseball development who played on the 2018 team. Canon Reeder, who hit a three-run homer in the Beavers' 14-10 win over Florida State on Sunday, said he and his teammates formed a unique bond through the challenges of a season spent mostly on the road. 'To be in the position where we are, you have to take a step back and appreciate what you've done and where we've come this season,' he said. 'Job's not finished. There's eight teams left and we want to be the last one standing.' Arizona coach Chip Hale, an infielder on the Wildcats' 1986 championship team and in his fourth season as coach, said he's impressed with how his team responded to the ups and downs of the first year in the Big 12. The Wildcats opened 0-3, won 17 of their next 18 and lost five of six late in the season. 'We hit some real roadblocks along the way and it ended up being a blessing to us because we got hot at the right time,' Hale said. The CWS berth is especially meaningful to Mason White, who leads the Wildcats with a .332 batting average, 19 homers and 72 RBIs. He grew up a fan in Tucson, recalling that he watched every game when Arizona won the 2012 title and in 2016 when it lost to Coastal Carolina in the CWS finals. His father, Ben White, played for Arizona from 1993-96 and his grandfather, Tim White, lettered in 1968. 'To be a third-generation guy to go to Omaha, I'm the first one of my dad and grandpa to get to go,' he said. 'It's almost like a dream. I just can't believe it.' ___ AP Sports Writer Brett Martell is Baton Rouge, Louisiana, contributed to this report. ___ AP college sports:
