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It's time to tip off the 2025 NCAA Tournament for Michigan State hoops.
The Spartans will open the big dance on Friday night in a first round matchup against No. 15 seed Bryant in Cleveland. This is a first round matchup in the South Region, with the winner moving to face the winner of the No. 7 Marquette-No. 10 New Mexico game.
Tip off from Rocket Arena is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on Friday. This will be one of the final games of the first round this year.
Michigan State comes into this game as heavy favorites, with the betting books listing the Spartans as a near 20-point favorite. But how does the Spartans Wire staff think this game will play out? Do we have the Spartans moving onto the second round? Do we think it'll be a close game or a blow out in either team's favor?
Check out our predictions for this first round matchup between the Spartans and Bulldogs below:
This feels like a good matchup for the Spartans when you look at what Bryant likes to do and how it really plays into the Spartans' strengths. I envision Michigan State's defensive ability to keep the Bulldogs in check, and if they can rebound efficiently as they've done all season long then this should be a game they control for most of the second half. Anything is possible in March (don't remind me of 2016), but this does feel like a game the Spartans should run away with as long as Bryant doesn't have their own Giddy Potts type of performance.
Prediction: Michigan State 85, Bryant 67
Bryant is kind of a unique 15-seed. I think the stereotype for a typical 15-seed is a smaller team that shoots a lot of threes. That's not Bryant. Bryant is a team of experienced transfers from other Power-5 programs around the country. They are big, they rebound, and they push the pace. MSU has been able to slow down teams that like to play fast this year, and we should at least expect they can do it again against Bryant.
Prediction: Michigan State 72, Bryant 60
This game has “scary” written all over it, to me. Bryant plays fast, attacks the rim and has MSU’s worst enemy, length. The bright side? Michigan State rebounds well, plays defense well and is comfortable picking up the pace. It is also worth noting that Bryant is not very good in transition defense.
I like Michigan State to scrape by in the end, but not without some discomfort along the way.
Prediction: Michigan State 81, Bryant 75
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU-Bryant Predictions: Our staff picks for this NCAA Tournament game
Continue reading...
The Spartans will open the big dance on Friday night in a first round matchup against No. 15 seed Bryant in Cleveland. This is a first round matchup in the South Region, with the winner moving to face the winner of the No. 7 Marquette-No. 10 New Mexico game.
Tip off from Rocket Arena is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET on Friday. This will be one of the final games of the first round this year.
Michigan State comes into this game as heavy favorites, with the betting books listing the Spartans as a near 20-point favorite. But how does the Spartans Wire staff think this game will play out? Do we have the Spartans moving onto the second round? Do we think it'll be a close game or a blow out in either team's favor?
Check out our predictions for this first round matchup between the Spartans and Bulldogs below:
Robert Bondy
This feels like a good matchup for the Spartans when you look at what Bryant likes to do and how it really plays into the Spartans' strengths. I envision Michigan State's defensive ability to keep the Bulldogs in check, and if they can rebound efficiently as they've done all season long then this should be a game they control for most of the second half. Anything is possible in March (don't remind me of 2016), but this does feel like a game the Spartans should run away with as long as Bryant doesn't have their own Giddy Potts type of performance.
Prediction: Michigan State 85, Bryant 67
Andrew Brewster
Bryant is kind of a unique 15-seed. I think the stereotype for a typical 15-seed is a smaller team that shoots a lot of threes. That's not Bryant. Bryant is a team of experienced transfers from other Power-5 programs around the country. They are big, they rebound, and they push the pace. MSU has been able to slow down teams that like to play fast this year, and we should at least expect they can do it again against Bryant.
Prediction: Michigan State 72, Bryant 60
Cory Linsner
This game has “scary” written all over it, to me. Bryant plays fast, attacks the rim and has MSU’s worst enemy, length. The bright side? Michigan State rebounds well, plays defense well and is comfortable picking up the pace. It is also worth noting that Bryant is not very good in transition defense.
I like Michigan State to scrape by in the end, but not without some discomfort along the way.
Prediction: Michigan State 81, Bryant 75
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page onFacebookto follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: MSU-Bryant Predictions: Our staff picks for this NCAA Tournament game
Continue reading...
