Michigan State basketball: Dangerous 2-game stretch looming this week

Michigan State basketball is facing a dangerous two-game road stretch this week at Penn State and at Michigan.

Michigan State basketball got the win it needed most on Saturday against No. 10 Illinois. The Spartans needed to improve their NCAA Tournament resume and they did just that in their 88-80 win over the Illini.

Before this win, the Spartans were firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble. Now they are comfortably off the bubble and would be in the tournament if the season ended today.

The Spartans’ next two games are on the road against Penn State on Wednesday and Michigan on Saturday. But why are these games dangerous for MSU? The Spartans have already beaten both teams this season by an average of 25 points. Both Penn State and Michigan also are near the bottom of the Big Ten standings and NET rankings in the conference.

So why are these two games dangerous?

NCAA Tournament resume

As I mentioned, the Spartans are now firmly in the NCAA Tournament field as of today. But that can change fast especially with these upcoming games.

As much good as the Spartans did for their resume in beating Illinois, that all can be ruined with a loss in either of the next two games. Neither Penn State nor Michigan will make the NCAA Tournament this year, in fact they both might miss the NIT as well. So a loss to that bad of a team is not something Michigan State can have at this point in the season.

Losing one of these games likely wouldn’t eliminate them from the NCAA Tournament field, but it would put them right back on the bubble. However, if the worst thing possible happens and they lose both then the Spartans will be in big trouble. I’m talking to the point where they will probably need to win at Purdue to get into the NCAA Tournament. I don’t think any of us want that game to be a must-win.

So the Spartans need to handle their business this week. If they play like they did against Illinois, they shouldn’t have any problem getting two wins. However, Michigan State only has one road win this season, so it certainly won’t be easy for them to win both.