Much is made of "seedings", different brackets, and which teams have the easier/tougher road to advance deep in the NCAA hoops tournament.
Though starting off in different brackets (UM in the Midwest, and MSU in the East), both teams had it relatively easy in their first two rounds.
UM easily dispatched lowly Wofford, then cruised to a win over over-matched Texas. Next up, they go to Indianapolis for the regionals to face Tennessee. The Volunteers are a decent team, but shouldn't pose a huge problem for the Wolverines. Also, UM greatly benefited when Mercer -- MERCER? -- knocked out Duke in their opening game. The Blue Devils would have been a much more formidable opponent than Tenn, but those things occasionally happen. Assuming UM gets by UT, that's when things start to get dicey. They'd face the winner of the Bluegrass Shootout, which will be decided on the same day between Louisville and Kentucky. Though Kentucky has been flying under the radar, give them credit for what they've already accomplished. They knocked off a pretty good Kansas St. team, then turned around and toppled #1 seed Wichita St. That's a pretty tough road so far. Conversely, many have picked #4 seed, and defending national champion, Louisville to make it all the way to the final game. Either way, Michigan would have their hands full in such an Elite 8 contest.
Michigan State has had it even easier so far. The first two games against Delaware and Harvard? Sure, it could be argued that upsets can happen, but it could also certainly be argued the Spartans have enjoyed a stroll in the park through those first two games. However, MSU's first big test comes a game earlier than UM's. They have to face #1 seed Virginia in the Sweet Sixteen. The cakewalks are over. At that, this should be a very interesting game. Amongst other things, MSU is known for its defensive tenacity. They hound the other team all over the court and nothing comes easy against the Spartans. But the Cavaliers feature the #1 ranked defense in the entire country. They typically make life very difficult for the other team as well. Something's gotta give here. It will likely be shooting percentages -- on both sides. If both teams hold true to form -- the final score might more resemble that of a high school game, rather than big time college basketball.
Idle thought: Michigan, in the Midwest bracket, played its first two games in Milwaukee. OK, beer city is definitely in the "midwest". But remember, Michigan State is in the East bracket. So how is it they came to play their first two games in Spokane, Washington? I'm no geography professor, but I'm pretty sure Spokane's about as west as you can get on the continental United States. Meanwhile, a few teams in the South bracket played their first games in Buffalo. And just what, exactly, is Buffalo south of? Canada, barely.
No wonder they call this March Madness.
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