The Bracketology Report: Michigan State

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Editor's note: Each week Bracketology Insider will take an in-depth look at teams headed for the NCAA Tournament ... or not.

Week in review
Michigan State (InsideRPI No. 45, SOS No. 20) has done a nice job over the last few weeks winning the games it's supposed to win. This became necessary after the Spartans ambitiously took on the country's eighth-toughest non-conference schedule, only to watch the losses pile up early on.

True to form, though, the Spartans notched a pair of victories against inferior competition over the last week to keep themselves at the top of the Big Ten. Not that it was an easy task: Four days after getting embarrassed by Illinois (InsideRPI No. 35, SOS No. 74), Tom Izzo's squad needed a late run to squeeze past unexpectedly competitive Minnesota (InsideRPI No. 153, SOS No. 80), 69-58, last Saturday.

That set up a rematch with Purdue (InsideRPI No. 82, No. 156), which on Jan. 25 had edged the Spartans in overtime. Tuesday's game wasn't a work of art, with the teams combining to shoot just 35-for-93 from the floor, but Michigan State canned 24-of-26 from the line and was happy to pocket a 62-55 win and move into a first-place tie with Wisconsin (InsideRPI No. 17, SOS No. 33).

Coming up
Winnable games continue to dot Michigan State's schedule over the next week. The Spartans host Northwestern (InsideRPI No. 100, SOS No. 64) Saturday and visit Michigan (InsideRPI No. 64, SOS No. 67) next Tuesday.

The Spartans already own a victory over the Wildcats, a comfortable 73-61 triumph on Jan. 21, and Northwestern is a lousy team on the road. This one shapes up as a "W" for the Spartans. But traveling to Michigan is never a picnic, and the Wolverines will be looking to avenge a 17-point spanking by MSU on Jan. 17.

MSU has a relatively easy next couple of weeks before squaring off against Wisconsin in its regular-season finale. The Big Ten is scuffling through an off year, so finishing as high as possible in the conference would go a long way toward strengthening the Spartans' case for a tourney invitation.

"Planting Seeds"
Michigan State was No. 42 this week on The Bracketology Report national seeding chart. This placed the Spartans just ahead of the "last four in" among the projected NCAA field, though that was before Tuesday's win over Purdue.

After playing a vicious non-conference slate and then opening their Big Ten schedule with a loss to Wisconsin, the Spartans found themselves dragging around a very atypical 5-7 record. But they've come alive at the right time, streaking through their league schedule to put themselves solidly on the right side of the bubble.

Michigan State can't afford a letdown -- with nine losses, its margin for error is miniscule -- and its two remaining road games are practically "must" wins. Still, a trip to the NCAA Tournament is no longer the pipe dream it appeared in mid-January.

Season breakdown (14-9, 8-3)
All RPI data through Monday, Feb. 17

Date       Opponent          Result        Opp. RPI       Opp. SOS
11/21      Bucknell          64-52           246            244
11/25      @Kansas           74-81 (L)       18             7
11/29      Pennsylvania      77-52           104            129
11/30      DePaul            89-81           48             79
12/3       Duke              50-72 (L)       2              5
12/6       N-Oklahoma        77-80 (L, ot)   34             44
12/13      N-Kentucky        74-79 (L)       3              5
12/16      South Florida     73-60           184            98
12/20      @UCLA             58-64 (L)       102            61
12/30      Coppin State      78-72           259            320
1/3        @Syracuse         83-96 (L)       37             56
1/10       @Wisconsin        64-77 (L)       17             33
1/14       Penn State        76-58           138            81
1/17       Michigan          71-54           64             67
1/21       @Northwestern     73-61           100            64
1/25       @Purdue           70-76 (L, ot)   82             156
1/28       @Minnesota        79-78 (ot)      153            80
1/31       Indiana           84-72           66             37
2/4        Iowa              89-72           77             70
2/7        @Ohio State       84-70           136            130
2/10       @Illinois         51-75 (L)       35             74
2/14       Minnesota         69-58           153            80
2/17       Purdue            62-55           82             156
2/21       Northwestern                      100            64
2/24       @Michigan                         64             67
2/28       @Penn State                       138            81
3/2        Wisconsin                         17             33
3/11       BIG TEN CONFERENCE


	


		


	

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