Michigan State answers critics with huge win to open NCAA Tournament
In the days leading up to March Madness, Michigan State received plenty of flak for their 14 losses. They answered the critics in a big way Thursday.
The Spartans rode a stifling defense to a 69-51 win over Mississippi State to open the NCAA Tournament, holding the Bulldogs to 37% shooting and out-rebounded them 35-29.
It was a strong response to the throngs of people complaining that Michigan State didn’t deserve a tournament bid (much less a nine seed) after a regular season in which they went 19-14.
There are many examples of people on social media expressing similar sentiments, albeit mostly with a great deal of profanity.
But Michigan State proved they were clearly a better team than Mississippi State on Thursday. There’s also an argument that the Spartans’ record didn’t reflect their true quality after the team lost a number of close games – including five losses of five or fewer points.
They didn’t leave it to luck this time, jumping out to a 5-0 lead that they would never relinquish. Michigan State was ahead for 39:05 in the contest, including the last 10:53 by double digits.
Their reward is a second-round matchup in which they will be heavy underdogs against top-seeded North Carolina. But after Thursday's dominant win, it’s hard to argue the Spartans didn’t belong in the Big Dance.
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