Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Earn No. 2 Seed In Midwest Region
3/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Complete Bracket | 2016 NCAA Tournament Central
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Fresh off winning its fifth Big Ten Tournament title, Michigan State has earned an NCAA bid for the 19th straight year -- setting a Big Ten record for most consecutive appearances -- and was named a No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region.
The Spartans (29-5) will face No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee (24-9) on Friday, March 18 at approximately 2:45 p.m. ET in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Scottrade Center. The game will be televised on CBS, with Brian Anderson, Steve Smith and Dana Jacobson on the call. The game will also be available online at http://www.ncaa.com/march-madness.
Michigan State's streak of 19 straight NCAA Tournament appearances not only establishes a Big Ten record for the longest in conference history (previous: Indiana, 18, 1986-2003), it's also the fourth longest in NCAA history (North Carolina and Kansas, 27; Duke, 21). In addition, MSU's streak is the third-longest active streak in the nation (Kansas, 27; Duke, 21).
The Blue Raiders won the Conference USA Tournament by defeating Old Dominion in the championship game, 55-53. Middle Tennessee finished second in the C-USA regular-season standings with a 13-5 league record.
Friday's game will mark the second-ever meeting between Michigan State and Middle Tennessee. MSU defeated the Blue Raiders in the only previous matchup, 72-51, on Dec. 19, 1977 in Jenison Field House.
Dayton (25-7) earned the seventh seed in the Midwest Region and will play 10th-seeded Syracuse (19-13).
The Midwest Regional is set for March 25 and March 27 (Friday, Sunday) at the United Center in Chicago.
