Who? The Spartans of Michigan State.
What? Sometimes it's better to ask forgiveness than permission, especially when your student body comes up with a name as uncreative as The Michigan Staters. (As a quarter Spartan by blood, I feel obligated to state that I don't feel offended by the use of my people's name, unless Michigan State has an awful, awful game.)
Where? East Lansing, Michigan, home of the oldest botanical garden in the US.
When? March 17th, in College Park, Maryland.
How? They were an at-large selection.
Surprise? They were starting to look a little like they might be. The numbers are not good.RPI: 62
SOS: 65
Record: 20-11 (11-5 Big Ten)
Good wins: Penn State.
Bad losses: Pittsburgh in Cancun. At Minnesota.
Who's running this show? Suzy Merchant, since 2007, an alumna of Central Michigan.
Extra, Extra! The Lansing State Journal. I'd be a lot more disappointed in the state of Michigan sportswriting if I weren't friendly with a Michigan sportswriter.
Michigan State gets after it. Senior guard Porschè Poole leads them in scoring with 13.5 points per game. Senior forward Lykendra Johnson adds 11.0 points and a team high 8.7 rebounds. Poole and freshman Kiana Johnson seem to split the playmaking duties, with Johnson averaging 4.1 assists and Poole 3.4. They have to keep Lykendra Johnson in the game to have a good shot. The numbers and the record don't jive.