By Sanderson “Snuffy” Smith

Spartans Extend NCAA Tournament Streak to 26 Straight

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State has earned a bid to its 26th consecutive NCAA Tournament, extending the longest NCAA Tournament streak in Big Ten history.

The ninth-seeded Spartans (19-14, 10-10 Big Ten) will face No. 8-seeded Mississippi State (21-13, 8-10 SEC) in the first round of the West Region on Thursday, March 21 at 12:15 p.m. on CBS. The game will be played at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The winner between the Spartans and the Bulldogs will take on the winner of top-seed North Carolina/No. 16 seed Wagner or Howard on Saturday, March 23.

Michigan State’s streak of 26 straight NCAA Tournaments is not only a Big Ten record, it’s also the third-longest in NCAA history.

Tom Izzo also extended his record by coaching his team to 26 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Last year, Izzo became the first men’s basketball head coach in history to lead his team to 25 straight NCAA Tournament appearances (previous record: Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski with 24 in a row from 1996-2019).

Mississippi State finished ninth in the SEC standings with an 8-10 conference mark and went 21-13 overall. The Bulldogs reached the semifinals of the SEC Tournament with wins over LSU and Tennessee before falling to Auburn.

This will mark only the fourth all-time meeting between MSU and Mississippi State and the first since 1973. The Spartans are 3-0 in the previous three meetings (1934, 1948, 1973).

Michigan State is making its 37th appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 72-35 (.673) in its previous 36 tournaments. MSU has made 10 trips to the Final Four (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019) and captured the NCAA Championship in 1979 and 2000. MSU’s .673 winning percentage is the eighth-best all-time in NCAA Tournament play, while the program’s 72 total victories rank sixth all-time. Michigan State’s 10 Final Four appearances are tied for sixth most.

The West Regional is set for March 28 and March 30 (Thursday, Saturday) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The 2024 Final Four will be held at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix on April 6 and April 8 (Saturday, Monday).

COURTESY MICHIGAN STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

STARKVILLE – Mississippi State men’s basketball secured its second straight NCAA Tournament bid under Chris Jans and will take on Michigan State during Thursday’s NCAA Tournament Round of 64 as announced Sunday by the NCAA Selection Committee.

The Bulldogs, the No. 8 seed in the NCAA West Region, were one of eight SEC schools chosen among the NCAA’s Field of 68. The Maroon and White are joined by SEC regular season champion Tennessee and SEC Tournament Champion Auburn along with Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina and Texas A&M.

Mississippi State (21-13, 8-10 SEC) and Michigan State (19-14, 10-10 Big Ten) will meet in Thursday’s NCAA Round of 64 from the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

Tip time and television network assignments will be announced later tonight.

All NCAA Tournament games are televised by CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV in addition to be streamed online courtesy of the NCAA March Madness (all games), MAX (TBS, TNT, truTV) and Paramount Plus (CBS) apps.

Jans has amassed a SEC-leading 42 victories which is tops among the six SEC second-year coaches. He is joined by John Calipari (Kentucky) and Eric Musselman (Arkansas) as the SEC’s only active coaches to post consecutive 20-win campaigns over their first two seasons with their respective schools.

Jans, Calipari (Kentucky – 2009-10 and 2010-11) and Bruce Pearl (Tennessee – 2005-06 and 2006-07) are the only SEC coaches to take their squads to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments over their first two seasons during the 2000s. Nationally, Jans is joined by Jon Scheyer (Duke) and Rodney Terry (Texas) as the only three second-year coaches to take their squads to the 2023 & 2024 NCAA Tournaments.

In total, Mississippi State has secured nine of its 13 NCAA Tournament selections dating back to the 2001-02 season. The Bulldogs advanced to the 1996 NCAA Final Four under Richard Williams when Mississippi State defeated VCU, Princeton, Connecticut and Cincinnati.

Visit www.HailState.com for the latest news and information on the men’s basketball program. Fans also can follow the program on its official social media accounts by searching ‘HailStateMBK’ on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram.

COURTESY MISSISSIPPI STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS