Michigan State basketball bracketology, seed for NCAA Tournament

EUGENE, OR — As Tom Izzo looks to break the tie and become the coach with the most Big Ten titles all-time, Michigan State basketball also is well on its way to adding to his ongoing record of 27 straight NCAA Tournament appearances is well underway.

The Spartans (16-2, 6-1 Big Ten) are sitting among the top-four seeds in bracketology predictions, with four straight wins since losing to Nebraska on Jan. 2, and remain on the same pace as they were at this time last year. They ranked No. 12 in last week’s USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, and moved up to No. 10 while pushing for another top NCAA Tournament seeding come Selection Sunday in March.

The ultimate mission for MSU: Izzo’s ninth Final Four berth and second national title.

Each week, the Free Press will take a look at MSU’s résumé and assess how it stacks up to the competition.

Michigan State basketball bracketology for NCAA Tournament

NET rankings: No. 12 (last week No. 13)

All stats entering Monday’s games.

• Quad 1 record: 5-2
• Quad 2 record: 3-0
• Quad 3 record: 2-0
• Quad 4 record: 6-0

KenPom rankings: No. 10 (last week, No. 13)

All rankings entering Monday.

• Offensive efficiency: No. 55
• Defensive efficiency: No. 1

Bracketology projections

• USA TODAY: 3-seed in West Region vs. Troy
• ESPN: 4-seed in East Region vs. UNC Wilmington
• CBS: 3-seed in West Region vs. Utah Valley
• Bleacher Report: 4-seed in West Region vs. UC Irvine
• Fox Sports: 3-seed in East Region vs. Furman

Michigan basketball schedule this week

• Tuesday: at Oregon, 9 p.m., FS1
• Saturday: vs. Maryland, noon, CBS

MSU basketball scores last week

• Jan. 13: 81-60 win over Indiana – Closing out a perfect three-game homestand, Jeremy Fears Jr. scored 19 of his career-best 23 points in the first half and handed out 10 assists while directing the Spartans to a 25-12 fastbreak advantage. Jaxon Kohler posted his 10th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds, as the Spartans owned a 37-19 rebounding edge and held IU to 10-for-31 on 3-point attempts.

• Jan. 17: 80-63 win at Washington – Fears again willed the Spartans, scoring 14 of his 19 points in the second half to kick off a stretch of three road games in their next four. MSU overcame off games from both Kohler (seven points on 3-for-11 shooting, with seven rebounds) and Coen Carr (six points and four rebounds, missing 3 of 4 free throws). However, MSU’s bench outscored the Huskies’ reserves, 31-7, as all 11 Spartans who played scored at least two points and nine grabbed at least one rebound. MSU, which started last season 18-2 before losing its first Big Ten games on a West Coast trip to USC and UCLA.

How NCAA tournament committee selects at-large teams

Record: The team’s overall record, conference record and nonconference record. 

Strength of schedule: The strength of the opponents the team played against.

Head-to-head results: The results of games between the teams being compared.

Conference championships: Whether a conference championship was won in the regular season or tournament. 

Common opponents: The results of games against common opponents.

Adjusted Net Efficiency (NET): The NCAA’s preferred metric measuring 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 formula that ranks teams using a team’s winning percentage, opponents’ success and opponents’ strength of schedule.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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