Are you toying with the idea of picking the Michigan State Spartans to win it all in your bracket pool? Well, wagering on March Madness is certainly one of the greatest games of chance that a person can play. Betting in Canada is a lot like entering a NCAA Tournament pool- you just don’t know if the ball will bounce your way, and if luck will be on your side or not.
And much of the Michigan State fan base is located in Canada or very close to it. Additionally, the Spartans will be playing their first two games in Detroit, right across the river from the casinos in Windsor, Ontario. There is a strong case both for and against betting on Purdue, and we’ll explore each side of the coin here.
After all: “The test of a first–rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald. This college basketball season we have no elite teams, but a lot of very good ones. There are about 10-12 teams that we can see having a legitimate shot at the national championship, but at the same time no clear favorite. You really can’t even limit the field of favorites down to less than five.
It’s looking more and more like a season in which a program will get its first national title and/or a team seeded below #4 and above #8 might win it all.
I stopped by WGN-TV studios, to do a guest segment on CLTV Sports Feed with Jarrett Payton tonight. It was mostly to cover March Madness and we covered the Michigan State Spartans:
Press that Button/Write ’em In:
The Michigan State Spartans are as nicely balanced as anyone this season, with a great interior game, depth on the front line, elite ball screen defenders and one of the best point guards in the NCAA in Cassius Winston. Additionally, this squad has the most NBA level talent all at the same time, arguably that Tom Izzo has ever had.
State has done their usual routine this season- start really fast, rise up the polls, then stumble in midseason, only to dominate in March. Now comes the time to see if the typical story arc is completed (we chronicled this in detail earlier this season). There’s a reason the Michigan State Spartans were ranked #1 in the nation in January.
Michigan State doing their annual "start the season really fast, look elite, then totally suck in mid January to mid February, regroup again and kick everyone's ass in March" bit.
It pretty much never fails— Paul M. Banks (@PaulMBanks) January 13, 2018
Pick Somebody Else:
All the ESPN Analysts picked the Spartans on their Bracketology show last night; just like they did in two recent even numbered years- 2016 and 2014. You’ll recall those seasons ended with the greatest upset of all NCAA Tournament history (#2 seed Michigan State falling to #15 seed Middle Tennessee in ’16) and a nice run that just came up short (Elite 8 loss to eventual champion UConn in 2014).
You know the saying in East Lansing, Michigan: “January, February, Izzo.” Now while Michigan State is dominant in March, the last weekend of the NCAA Tournament is in April, which has been the cruelest month to the Spartans.
Since their most recent national title in 2000, the Michigan State Spartans have been back to Final Four five times (2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015), and they have only reached the title game in one of those five trips.
MSU’s record is 1-5 on the April weekend of the big dance since the glorious night they cut down the nets after beating Florida in 2000.
The Road Ahead:
The committee maybe did Sparty a huge favor by seeding them way lower than they deserved, as this will get them fired up. Unfortunately, they put Duke in their bracket, and has been well chronicled, Tom Izzo is just 1-11 versus Coach K. On the plus side, Kansas is the #1 seed in their bracket, and you all know quite well how often the Jayhawks lose to lower seeds.
Bottom Line:
If the Michigan State Spartans win their region, then it’s likely they could face Villanova in the semi-final and Virginia in the title game. Both match-ups are favorable, so in summation, you can feel just as confident in picking Michigan State as you can in picking just about anybody else. They currently have the fourth strongest odds of anybody at 75/10.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net and TheBank.News, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, currently contributes regularly to WGN CLTV and the Tribune company’s blogging community Chicago Now.
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