MSU Women’s Basketball To Face Central Michigan In The NCAA Tournament
3/18/2019 7:02:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Ninth-Seeded MSU To Face Eighth-Seeded Chippewas at Approximately 1 p.m. ET in South Bend, Indiana
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State women's basketball drew the ninth seed in the Chicago Region and will face eighth-seeded Central Michigan on Saturday, March 23 at approximately 1 p.m. (ET) tip-off in Purcell Pavilion on the campus of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. Saturday's first-round clash between the Spartans and Chippewas will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
The MSU-CMU game follows the host and No. 1 seed Notre Dame vs. No. 16 seed Bethune Cookman on Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. ET, with Michigan State and Central Michigan to follow 30 minutes after. The winners of Saturday's games will meet in the second round game on Monday, March 24 at a time to be announced later.
Michigan State is currently 20-11 after losing to No. 1 Maryland, 71-55, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
MSU is in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons and the 17th time overall being in the "Big Dance." Michigan State has gone to the NCAA Tournament 14 of the last 16 seasons.
This is the second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the fourth time overall that the Spartans have been the No. 9 seed, also doing so in 1996 and 2009, along with 2017. MSU is 2-1 in the first round as a No. 9 seed and 3-3 overall. In 1996, Michigan State beat eighth-seeded Massachusetts, 60-57 (OT) in Storrs, Connecticut before going on to lose to No. 1 seed UConn, 88-68, in the second round. In 2009, MSU was the host site and beat No. 8 seed Middle Tennessee State, 60-59, then upset top-seeded Duke, 63-49, in the second round, losing to No. 4 seed Iowa State, 69-68, in the regional semifinals. In their last NCAA Tournament in 2017, ninth-seeded Michigan State lost to eighth-seeded Arizona State, 73-61.
Michigan State (20-11) and Central Michigan (25-7) will be meeting on the court for the first time since 2005, with MSU leading, 27-8, winning the last six meetings. The Spartans and Chippewas are 2-2 on neutral court meetings, but Saturday's NCAA Tournament match-up will be the first meeting outside of the state of Michigan.
Central Michigan earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. CMU currently has a 25-7 record after the top-seeded Chippewas lost to fourth-seeded Buffalo, 82-77, in the Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The Chips won the regular-season MAC title with a 15-3 conference mark.
The Chips average 80.3 points per game in shooting 47.8 percent from the field, along with 38.4 percent from 3-point range and 77.2 percent at the free throw line. Defensively, Central Michigan holds the opposition to 65.7 points per game, while limiting them to 39.5 percent field goal shooting, 31.7 percent behind the arc and 71.2 percent at the free throw line. The Chips average a +8.7 rebounding advantage (40.7-32.0).
CMU is led by senior forward Reyna Frost averaging 21.8 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. Senior guard Presley Hudson adds 20.4 ppg, netting 3.4 3-pointers per game. Sophomore guard Micaela Kelly chips in 14.3 ppg. Frost and Kelly share the team lead in 3-point percentage at 41.5 percent.
All-session and single-session tickets for this weekend's NCAA Championship games are on sale now at UND.com/buytickets. Tickets are also available by phone (574-631-7356) or in person at the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office (Gate 9 at Purcell Pavilion) beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
The MSU-CMU game follows the host and No. 1 seed Notre Dame vs. No. 16 seed Bethune Cookman on Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. ET, with Michigan State and Central Michigan to follow 30 minutes after. The winners of Saturday's games will meet in the second round game on Monday, March 24 at a time to be announced later.
Michigan State is currently 20-11 after losing to No. 1 Maryland, 71-55, in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
MSU is in the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four seasons and the 17th time overall being in the "Big Dance." Michigan State has gone to the NCAA Tournament 14 of the last 16 seasons.
This is the second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance and the fourth time overall that the Spartans have been the No. 9 seed, also doing so in 1996 and 2009, along with 2017. MSU is 2-1 in the first round as a No. 9 seed and 3-3 overall. In 1996, Michigan State beat eighth-seeded Massachusetts, 60-57 (OT) in Storrs, Connecticut before going on to lose to No. 1 seed UConn, 88-68, in the second round. In 2009, MSU was the host site and beat No. 8 seed Middle Tennessee State, 60-59, then upset top-seeded Duke, 63-49, in the second round, losing to No. 4 seed Iowa State, 69-68, in the regional semifinals. In their last NCAA Tournament in 2017, ninth-seeded Michigan State lost to eighth-seeded Arizona State, 73-61.
Michigan State (20-11) and Central Michigan (25-7) will be meeting on the court for the first time since 2005, with MSU leading, 27-8, winning the last six meetings. The Spartans and Chippewas are 2-2 on neutral court meetings, but Saturday's NCAA Tournament match-up will be the first meeting outside of the state of Michigan.
Central Michigan earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. CMU currently has a 25-7 record after the top-seeded Chippewas lost to fourth-seeded Buffalo, 82-77, in the Mid-American Conference Tournament semifinals Friday night at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The Chips won the regular-season MAC title with a 15-3 conference mark.
The Chips average 80.3 points per game in shooting 47.8 percent from the field, along with 38.4 percent from 3-point range and 77.2 percent at the free throw line. Defensively, Central Michigan holds the opposition to 65.7 points per game, while limiting them to 39.5 percent field goal shooting, 31.7 percent behind the arc and 71.2 percent at the free throw line. The Chips average a +8.7 rebounding advantage (40.7-32.0).
CMU is led by senior forward Reyna Frost averaging 21.8 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. Senior guard Presley Hudson adds 20.4 ppg, netting 3.4 3-pointers per game. Sophomore guard Micaela Kelly chips in 14.3 ppg. Frost and Kelly share the team lead in 3-point percentage at 41.5 percent.
All-session and single-session tickets for this weekend's NCAA Championship games are on sale now at UND.com/buytickets. Tickets are also available by phone (574-631-7356) or in person at the Murnane Family Athletics Ticket Office (Gate 9 at Purcell Pavilion) beginning at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.
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