No. 4/4 Michigan State has earned the Big Ten’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and will be the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Maryland Heights regional. The Spartans will take on in-state rival and No. 14/13 Western Michigan in the first round, the first-ever meeting of the programs in the NCAA Tournament. No. 5/5 North Dakota and No. 10/10 Michigan are the other two teams competing in Maryland Heights, with the Friday winners advancing to the Sunday regional final.