No. 1 Seed MSU Battles Western Michigan in NCAA Tournament

East Lansing, Mich. -- Michigan State has qualified for the 2024 NCAA Tournament, and will be the No. 1 seed in Maryland Heights, Mo. MSU's first game will be Friday at 5 pm ET, when it takes on Western Michigan.

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The Spartans are making their 28^th NCAA Tournament appearance all-time, and earned the Big Ten's autobid to the NCAA Tournament with its 5-4 overtime victory over Michigan in the B1G title game on Saturday night.

In addition to MSU and Western Michigan, the Spartans will be joined by No. 2 seed North Dakota and No. 3 seed Michigan, who meet in the nightcap at 8:30 pm ET on Friday. The two winners advance to play in Sunday's regional final at 6:30 pm ET.

Michigan State, (24-9-3 overall) is making its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2012. The Spartans are 30-29-1 all-time in the postseason affair, with national championships claimed in 1966, 1986 and 2007. The Spartans are the top ranked of the four Big Ten schools selected for the 2024 field (Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Michigan are also among the 16 teams).

Western Michigan is an at-large selection to the field with a 21-15-1 overall record and a sixth-place finish in the NCHC standings. The Broncos are one of four NCHC schools in the field.

Michigan State and Western Michigan were longtime CCHA rivals, and MSU owns a 65-35-9 all-time record against their in-state rival. The teams last met in the Great Lakes Showcase in December 2021, with the Broncos earning a 3-1 win at Munn.

Maryland Heights, Mo. Is a suburb of St. Louis, where the Spartans won the 2007 National Championship. Friday's game will be MSU's third all-time postseason game in the state.

No. 1 Seed MSU Battles Western Michigan in NCAA Tournament

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