Initial reaction to Michigan State basketball drawing North Dakota State

Michigan State basketball will make its 28th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament on Thursday. As the 3-seed in the East Region, the Spartans will play 14th-seeded North Dakota State.

Here are some instant, off the cuff reactions to MSU’s first round opponent.

1. North Dakota State can rebound

The first thing I check for in any MSU opponent is their rebounding. And I was surprised to see how well the Bison match up. They are a top 100 team nationally in offensive rebounding. And a top 20 team defensively.

They have good size on the interior with 6-foot-9 Treyson Anderson and 6-foot-10 Noah Feddersen. But they do play small, opting to go with 6-foot-6 Mario Strickland at the four.

While being able to hang with Michigan State basketball on the glass is essential to beating them, it’s also a concern for the Bison that the Spartans are flat out better at one of their main strengths. North Dakota State might have been able to live on the glass in the Summit League. But this will be a different challenge against MSU’s size and athleticism.

2. NDSU is small

It was alluded to above, but it bears further discussion. The Bison have adequate size up front. But their guards and wings are small.

NDSU is going to play three players that are 6-foot-3 or shorter at all times. And the numbers say they almost never play their two bigs together. With four guards on the floor, it’s really tough to see how they’ll be able to rebound against MSU’s size.

Even if that small lineup prevents Tom Izzo from playing Carson Cooper and Jaxon Kohler together, the Spartans have the size advantage with other options like Cam Ward and Coen Carr.

3. NDSU is untested

Usually, with these lower seeds, there are a couple of data points from early in the season against high major competition.

That’s not the case with NDSU. The Bison haven’t played a top 100 KenPom team all season. They split with conference rival St. Thomas (109th) and lost by one to UC Irvine (104th).

But there are no power conference teams on their schedule. And the three teams they defeated in the Sunmit League tournament were ranked 309th, 262nd, and 275th on KenPom.

4. NDSU will dare Michigan State to shoot

An astounding 44.4% of all shot attempts against the Bison this season have come from three. Their defensive game plan is built to funnel three point attempts in order to protect a very weak interior defense.

The Bison’s size issues have been well documented. And it shows up most in their two point defense, which ranks 221st in America.

But with opponents only shooting 33.5% from three against them, it’s been an effective strategy. Michigan State has to be careful here. Because an open three, in some cases, is exactly the shot NDSU wants for them to take.

5. The Summit League can be dangerous 

You’ll hear a lot of people this week argue that these narratives and historical facts are irrelevant to this year’s games. And while that’s true, I also don’t think it should be ignored.

The Summit League has produced some dangerous NCAA Tournament teams over the years. It was just five years ago when 15-seed Oral Roberts made the sweet sixteen.

South Dakota State nearly took out 4-seed Providence in 2022. And the league has produced several top 100 NCAA Tournament teams through the years.

So, there is some precedent here for success. This is an offensive oriented league that has shot makers with the capability to come alive during March.