Tom Izzo’s quest to extend his record 26 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances is well underway.
He has Michigan State Basketball back in the top 25, arriving last week at No. 19 in USA TODAY Athletic Trainer Polland playing at a high level again with renewed vigor that should take the score to 27 in a row come March Selection Sunday.
There are a number of criteria that the selection committee examines in order to make its evaluation in addition to subjective evaluations such as the “eyeball test”. Among them:
Save: The team’s overall record, conference record and non-conference record.
Strength of schedule: The strength of the teams the team played against.
Head-to-head results: Match results between teams compared.
Conference Championships: Whether a conference championship was won in the regular season or tournament.
Common adversaries: Results of matches against common opponents.
Adjusted net efficiency (NET): The NCAA’s preferred metric measuring a team’s overall performance during the regular season.
Team Value Index: A results-oriented component of the NET that ranks teams based on who they beat and where they played.
Rating Percentage Index (RPI): A formula that ranks teams based on a team’s winning percentage, opponents’ success, and opponents’ strength of schedule.
Each week, the Free Press will take a look back at the Spartans’ previous week and evaluate how their resume has changed and compares to that of the competition.
Michigan State Basketball Results Last Week
December 17: 77-58 victory against Oakland at Little Caesars Arena — It’s becoming an annual event, with Oakland’s Greg Kampe for the second time forcing Izzo to wear an ugly Christmas sweater when their teams meet. But the ending remained the same as always: MSU cruised to a victory and two good friends sharing the postgame dais and trying out for a summer trip to the Catskills. This time, the Spartans withstood a 15-point first-half barrage from Oakland’s DQ Cole, with redshirt freshman Jeremy Fears Jr. taking over defensive duties in the second half and stifling the Grizzlies guard. Jaden Akins and Jaxon Kohler then combined for 11 straight MSU points, and Xavier Booker scored 11 of his career-high 18 after halftime to ultimately earn an easy victory. Izzo and the Spartans improved to 23-0 against Kampe and Oakland, and 9-2 on the season.
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December 21: 86-69 home win over Florida Atlantic — The Owls presented a bigger, more athletic challenge that the Spartans summarily dispatched with ease to improve to 10-2, thanks in large part to their depth and the versatility of their lineup with the pieces Izzo assembled. Sophomore Coen Carr put on an epic showcase with five dunks, a blocked shot and his first collegiate 3-pointer as part of his career-high 17-point, eight-rebound performance. Fears also recorded a career-high 13 points and eight assists as all 10 rotation regulars scored and nine of them pulled down at least one rebound.
Net ranking: #24 (last week: #21)
All rankings entering Sunday’s matches.
Quad 1 recording: 1-2.
Quad 2 recording: 2-0.
Quad 3 recording: 3-0.
Quad 4 recording: 4-0.
KenPom ranking: No. 22 (last week: No. 20)
All rankings come in Monday.
Offensive efficiency: No. 33.
Defensive efficiency: No. 15.
Bracketology projections
ESPN: 5 seeds in the East region: Newark (as of December 17).
Le3: 5 seeds in the West region: Seattle (as of December 18).
Bracketology T3: 5 seeds (as of December 15).
Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.
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This article was originally published on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State Basketball NCAA Tournament Summary for March Madness
