Michigan State’s first-round opponent is a Bucknell team filled with experience and one that could provide a game too close for comfort Spartan fans.
Source: Spartan Avenue
Tag: NCAA Tournament
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Coaching Corner/Film Study – 5 Things to Watch For in MSU vs. Bucknell
Tread lightly, Spartans. After a couple days of film study into Bucknell, they are going to present plenty of challenges for MSU on Friday night. You probably already know about the three all-conference seniors, including Thomas the Patriot League Player of the Year. You might know they average 81 a game and really competed against UNC and Maryland this year. Let’s not forget last year’s NCAA tournament where they gave West Virginia a scare, losing 86-80.
Source: Detroit Sports and Entertainment
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The Final Four Is Not On The Schedule: First Round vs. Bucknell Preview
Rod and Sam are back to break down MSU’s first-round date with the Bucknell Bison.
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Michigan State’s loss to Middle Tennessee should help against Bucknell
Tom Izzo still wishes he’d called a timeout a little earlier against Middle Tennessee State. “He just said that the other day,” Michigan State assistant coach Dane Fife said. Fife has his own regrets. “I kick myself for not saying, ‘All right, Coach, here’s the deal: ‘No more 3s. If they get 2s, great.’”
Source: Lansing State Journal
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Michigan State’s mission: Don’t let Bucknell be Middle Tennessee State
Unprompted on Tuesday, Tom Izzo brought up a ghost from Michigan State’s past. He compared this year’s first-round NCAA tournament opponent, Bucknell, to the Middle Tennessee State team that stunned the Spartans in the 2016 opening round and ended their hope for a national title.
Source: Detroit Free Press
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3 things we like and don’t like about MSU vs. Bucknell
We’re a little nervous. Then we’re not. We can’t really decide. With game day just around the corner for MSU, there’s been plenty to daydream about. On paper, a 14 vs. 3 matchup in the tournament should likely be a snooze-fest. However, that is not the case with Bucknell.
Source: The Only Colors
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In Bucknell, MSU braces for ‘a very good team’
With all the speculation about seeding and potential opponents taken care of, Michigan State has been busy since Sunday night preparing for its next opponent. That opponent, of course, is Patriot League champion Bucknell, and the Spartans already feel like they have a pretty good understanding of the team they’ll face Friday night at Little Caesars Arena in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament.
Source: Detroit News
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Tom Izzo sees shades of Middle Tennessee State in NCAA Tournament opponent Bucknell
he words Middle and Tennessee put together still cause Michigan State fans to cringe nearly two years later. But in speaking about his team’s opponent in its 2018 NCAA Tournament opener, Bucknell, Tom Izzo didn’t hesitate in referencing the team that dealt his 2016 squad a shocking first-round tournament upset. “I look at them and they’re as good or better than Middle Tennessee,” Izzo said of Bucknell during a Tuesday press conference at Breslin Center.
Source: MLive.com
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Spartans look to get back into routine ahead of NCAA Tournament
Michigan State and the other three Big Ten teams in the NCAA Tournament have found themselves in uncharted territory. With the Big Ten Tournament starting and ending a week earlier than usual, the Spartans — along with Purdue, Ohio State, and Michigan — had at least an extra seven days between their last game in the conference tourney and the start of the Big Dance. And with MSU on spring break last week, the time with nothing to worry about but basketball was time well spent for the Spartans, who were announced as a No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region on Sunday.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
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Michigan State hoping Little Caesars Arena fuels NCAA tournament run
Cassius Winston already had one homecoming this season. But this one is much more important for Michigan State. And the sophomore point guard knows the NCAA tournament will be a lot different than December’s visit to Little Caesars Arena.
Source: Detroit Free Press
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The Bison Breakdown: Who is Bucknell?
With a total student population of 3,660, according to the official Bucknell University website, the Bison measure up as 7.3 percent of Michigan State’s 50,000-plus student body. In comparison, the 2017-18 Izzone student section membership was upwards of 4,000.
Source: Impact Sports
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In-Depth Analysis: Bucknell
Bucknell earned their eighth NCAA Tournament bid by winning the Patriot League for the second consecutive year. The Bison dominated conference play going 16-2 and after grinding out a win in their first conference tournament game, crushed their next two opponents to take the title.
Source: The Only Colors
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NCAA tournament preview: No. 3 Michigan State vs. No. 14 Bucknell
When the season began, Michigan State was the pick of everyone to win the Big Ten. And, the Spartans (29-4 overall, 16-2 Big Ten) delivered the school’s first league championship since 2012 and first outright title since 2009.
Source: Big Ten Network
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Here’s what Michigan State has to do to make the Final Four
Five days into the college basketball season, Michigan State, Duke and Kansas all met in Chicago as part of a high-profile field in the Champions Classic. Duke and Michigan State faced off as the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, respectively. The Blue Devils edged Michigan State, 88-81. Kansas, the No. 4 team, edged No. 5 Kentucky, 65-61. Now, the Spartans, Blue Devils and Jayhawks could all be meeting again in the same city: Omaha, for a regional semifinal and final date.
Source: MLive.com
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Getting to know Bucknell
Oh, you don’t already know everything about MSU’s first NCAA Tournament opponent, the Bucknell Bison?! Well, did you stumble across the right blog post. Before our Spartans tip off on Friday night at Little Caesars Arena, this gives you a rundown of the Bison to either make you more confident in the game…or less. Depends how you slice it, really.
Source: The Only Colors
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Early look at MSU’s first-round opponent Bucknell
Bucknell won the Patriot League for the fourth year in a row with a 16-2 conference record identical to Michigan State’s Big Ten record. The Bison went on to also win the Patriot League Tournament by beating second-place Colgate 83-54 in the championship.
Source: Spartan Tailgate
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The Final Four Is Not On The Schedule: Selection Sunday Special
Sam calls Rod at the airport to chat about MSU’s draw in the NCAA Tournament. Topics include the importance of MSU playing the first two rounds in Detroit, a quick appraisal of first-round opponent Bucknell and potential second-round opponents TCU, Syracuse, and Arizona State, and of course, a hypothetical Sweet 16 against the hated Blue Devils.
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FiveThirtyEight gives Spartans 6% chance of winning NCAA Tournament
Michigan State is a No. 3 seed as it begins its 2018 NCAA Tournament run against No. 14 seed Bucknell in the East Region on Friday. The Spartans could be a tough out in March, as they only lost four games all season.
Source: Land of 10
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3 of 4 ESPN analysts pick Michigan State to win the national title
Dick Vitale, Jay Bilas, and Seth Greenberg all had Michigan State winning the national championship. And all of them had the Spartans beating Virginia, a team MSU has knocked out of the NCAAs in 2014 and 2015. Jay Williams had Michigan State losing to Arizona in the national title game.
Source: MLive.com
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Izzo on NCAA tournament: ‘Nothing is gonna cause us to lose but us’
Michigan State has a date in Detroit. After a week of waiting, wondering and hearing they might be placed anywhere but closest to home, the Spartans learned they could play the first two rounds at Little Caesars Arena after all.
Source: Detroit Free Press