For one of the few times in the last two decades, Michigan State was fighting to make the NCAA Tournament deep into the 2016-17 season. The Spartans started 0-2, lost at home to Northeastern, entered Big Ten play at 8-5 and sat at 12-9 after a three-game losing streak. After dropping the final two games of the regular season and winning one game in the Big Ten Tournament, MSU made the Big Dance at 19-14 as a No. 9 seed, marking just the fourth time the Spartans have been worse than a No. 7 seed during their 20-year NCAA Tournament streak.
Source: Spartan Tailgate