The Big Ten champion Michigan State Spartans are headed back to the NCAA Tournament for the 27th straight time as the No. 2 seed in the South Region, set to open their quest for another Final Four (and maybe more) against the 15th-seeded Bryant Bulldogs on Friday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. Tip-off is scheduled for 10 p.m. Eastern on TBS.
For Tom Izzo’s 27-6 Spartans, the goal is simple—survive, advance, and remind everyone why and how they’ve scraped their way up through and defied SEC-fanboy rankings and pretty middling expectations all season. The first task up is Bryant, the America East tournament champion and a team that, while capable of putting points on the board and has some length at the guards, should be overmatched against MSU’s depth and defensive intensity.