Michigan state basketball was absolutely claimed by the NCAA Tournament selection committee, winning a play-in game as one of the “last four” team.
If you’re like me, you probably sat in front of the TV on Sunday night, waiting for the news. Would Michigan be seed number 10 or number 11? Would they be playing Friday or Saturday? Who would be your opponent in the first round?
All of these questions were answered, but they arose even more after the sowing was resolved. The state of Michigan gained 11 seeds in the Eastern Region (same region of Michigan), corresponding to 11 UCLA seeds. Yes, you read that correctly, Michigan State won one of the play-in games, which means that the Spartans were one of the last four teams.
This went against what all college basketball experts had been saying before Sunday. Some had Michigan State as the first seed No. 10, others comfortably had it as the first of the “last four bye”.
But that was not the case. The NCAA Tournament Selection Committee did not think long enough for the 15-12 Spartans to keep them out of the game.
Three wins in the top five in two weeks (including one over probably the best team in the country, Illinois) were not enough to keep them comfortably inside. The committee wanted the state of Michigan to “win” a spot in the first round with a play – in a victory over UCLA.
Still, a team like Syracuse, with a ranking victory throughout the season, escaped a play-in game despite being on the wrong side of the bubble, according to almost all college basketball experts.
When Mitch Barnhart, AD of Kentucky and chairman of the selection committee, spoke on CBS about the decision to put Michigan State in the game as one of the team’s “last four”, he didn’t give a good reason. He alluded to the body of work and then said “what better way to start the weekend” than with a fight between the state of Michigan and UCLA.
So, was that for visualization? Was that for money? Got it.
What a way to show that you care more about dollars than about the real value of a team at the NCAA Tournament.
Putting the state of Utah and Syracuse on the Spartans was a shock and an embarrassment. The committee did this for the audience and not because any of these teams deserved that place in the state of Michigan, which is shameful.
No one is predicting that MSU will win it all this year, but playing that extra game puts the Spartans at a great disadvantage to run a race the first weekend.
If you’re like me, this big mistake by the selection committee made you furious.