Ninth-Seeded MSU Women’s Basketball To Face North Carolina In NCAA Tournament
3/17/2024 9:32:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Spartans will face eighth-seeded Tar Heels Friday in Columbia, South Carolina.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State women's basketball will be the No. 9-seed in Albany Regional 1 of the 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and will take on eighth-seeded North Carolina on Friday, March 22. Tip-off time for Friday's action at Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina, home of No. 1 seed South Carolina is set for 11:30 a.m.
Friday's battle between the Spartans and Tar Heels will be televised on the ESPN family of networks.
The winner of the Michigan State-North Carolina game will advance to the second round to meet the winner of top-seeded and No. 1 overall seed, and host, South Carolina and the 16th-seeded Sacred Heart/Presbyterian play-in game.
First-year head coach Robyn Fralick is the first-ever Michigan State women's basketball head coach to lead the Spartans into the NCAA Tournament in their first season at the helm of the MSU program.
Michigan State enters the NCAA Tournament with a 22-8 record, winning five of its last six and nine of its last 12 overall, falling in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals to Nebraska. The Spartans ended the regular season with 12-6 mark in Big Ten games, winning five in a row entering the postseason, and were the No. 4 seed in the B1G Tournament. This is the first time since the 2015-16 season that MSU has exceeded the 10-win mark in league play, finishing 13-5 that season. This is also the first time that Michigan State has surpassed 21 wins since the 2015-16 season. That year, the Spartans went 25-9, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
MSU is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021, which was played entirely in San Antonio due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall, the Spartans are making their 19th overall trip to the "Big Dance." MSU has made it to the NCAA Tournament in 16 of the last 21 completed seasons.
The Spartans and Tar Heels will be meeting on the hardwood for the first time since the 2014 NCAA Tournament Second Round when No. 4-seeded UNC beat fifth-seeded MSU, 63-52 in Chapel Hill. Overall, UNC leads the all-time series, 4-1, including 1-0 in neutral court meetings, squaring off in the 1999-2000 season in Myrtle Beach, S.C. when No. 10/11-ranked North Carolina posted an 82-65 win.
Friday will mark the third NCAA Tournament match-up between the Spartans and Tar Heels, also meeting in 1997, when the No. 8 seeded Spartans lost to the No. 1 seeded Tar Heels, 81-71 in OT.
Michigan State is making its second trip to Columbia, S.C. for the NCAA Tournament, also playing there in the 2017 First Round, when the Spartans were also the No. 9 seed, falling to No. 8 seed Arizona State, 73-61.
Further game information, ticket information and ways to follow all the action from Columbia will be announced on MSUSpartans.com when available.
Friday's battle between the Spartans and Tar Heels will be televised on the ESPN family of networks.
The winner of the Michigan State-North Carolina game will advance to the second round to meet the winner of top-seeded and No. 1 overall seed, and host, South Carolina and the 16th-seeded Sacred Heart/Presbyterian play-in game.
First-year head coach Robyn Fralick is the first-ever Michigan State women's basketball head coach to lead the Spartans into the NCAA Tournament in their first season at the helm of the MSU program.
Michigan State enters the NCAA Tournament with a 22-8 record, winning five of its last six and nine of its last 12 overall, falling in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals to Nebraska. The Spartans ended the regular season with 12-6 mark in Big Ten games, winning five in a row entering the postseason, and were the No. 4 seed in the B1G Tournament. This is the first time since the 2015-16 season that MSU has exceeded the 10-win mark in league play, finishing 13-5 that season. This is also the first time that Michigan State has surpassed 21 wins since the 2015-16 season. That year, the Spartans went 25-9, reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
MSU is in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021, which was played entirely in San Antonio due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall, the Spartans are making their 19th overall trip to the "Big Dance." MSU has made it to the NCAA Tournament in 16 of the last 21 completed seasons.
The Spartans and Tar Heels will be meeting on the hardwood for the first time since the 2014 NCAA Tournament Second Round when No. 4-seeded UNC beat fifth-seeded MSU, 63-52 in Chapel Hill. Overall, UNC leads the all-time series, 4-1, including 1-0 in neutral court meetings, squaring off in the 1999-2000 season in Myrtle Beach, S.C. when No. 10/11-ranked North Carolina posted an 82-65 win.
Friday will mark the third NCAA Tournament match-up between the Spartans and Tar Heels, also meeting in 1997, when the No. 8 seeded Spartans lost to the No. 1 seeded Tar Heels, 81-71 in OT.
Michigan State is making its second trip to Columbia, S.C. for the NCAA Tournament, also playing there in the 2017 First Round, when the Spartans were also the No. 9 seed, falling to No. 8 seed Arizona State, 73-61.
Further game information, ticket information and ways to follow all the action from Columbia will be announced on MSUSpartans.com when available.
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