Michigan State basketball: Saturday was worst possible outcome for NCAA Tournament hopes

Saturday night’s results were the worst possible in terms of NCAA Tournament hopes for Michigan State basketball.

Well everyone, things just got very interesting for Michigan State basketball. I, along with pretty much everyone in the entire country, thought MSU was an NCAA Tournament lock after its Big Ten Tournament win over Minnesota on Thursday. Even the Spartans’ close loss to Purdue on Friday made it seem like they belonged in the tournament.

However, things took a turn for the worst on Saturday around the country which put a damper on MSU’s chances.

Bid stealers galore

What is a bid stealer? A bid stealer is a team whose only chance at making the NCAA Tournament is winning its conference tournament. A simple example of that would be a team like Rutgers winning the Big Ten. Bid stealers are any bubble team’s worst nightmare as they’re stealing spots in the field from those bubble teams looking for an at-large selection.

After the Spartans’ win over Minnesota, they were close to the NCAA Tournament bubble but had some breathing room. That, however, changed fast as Saturday may have seen the most bid stealers win their conference tournaments in college basketball history.

Here is a recap of those bid stealers from Saturday:

1. Pac-12: Oregon defeated Colorado 75-68
2. ACC: NC State defeated North Carolina 84-76
3. MWC: New Mexico defeated San Diego State 68-61
4. AAC: Temple defeated Florida Atlantic 74-73

Before Saturday, Michigan State likely was a 10-seed with a chance at a 9-seed. Now they’re staring at an 11-seed and a trip to the First Four in Dayton. I do think MSU does make the tournament still and will play in the First Four, but that is a scary place to be.

Even if all the bracket experts and analysts think MSU is still in, which they do, all it takes is for the committee to disagree with everyone and leave them out. That may not be likely, but it is a very real possibility.

Selection Sunday is here and it’s time to sweat it out. Hopefully in a matter of a few hours, we’ll see MSU’s name called and can breathe a sigh of relief.