Michigan State hockey: Big Ten Tournament bracket revealed

Michigan State hockey will get the lone first-round bye in the Big Ten Tournament which starts this upcoming weekend.

In case you missed it, this past weekend Michigan State hockey clinched its first Big Ten championship in program history with a 5-2 win at Wisconsin on Friday. The Spartans have had a lot of program success in their history, but that all came before the Big Ten formed a hockey conference a decade ago. So this is the first time MSU is on top of the conference.

Their first-place finish in the regular season means that MSU earns a 1-seed in the upcoming Big Ten Tournament. A lot of perks come with the 1-seed, so let’s dive in and take a look at the tournament bracket.

Bracket Announced for 2024 #B1G Hockey Tournament https://t.co/GNLSkYr6Zd

— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) March 3, 2024

MSU earns only first-round bye

The Big Ten hockey tournament begins this weekend, but you won’t see the Spartans playing just yet. Michigan State earned the only first-round bye, automatically moving them to the semifinals. There the Spartans will play the winner of this weekend’s best-of-three series between Notre Dame and Michigan.

The semifinals matchup will take place in East Lansing and is a single-elimination game on March 16. If MSU wins that game, they will host the championship game the next weekend on March 23.

So not only does Michigan State get to celebrate its regular-season title, but they get a lot of perks in the upcoming tournament. The only first-round bye is huge as the Spartans will be well-rested compared to their semifinals opponent. They also get to host every game they play in as well. Munn Arena will no doubt be rocking for their games, so this is a huge advantage for the Spartans.

Last season was the first time the Spartans won a series in the Big Ten hockey tournament. Now this year is the program’s first regular season championship. Michigan State hockey will look to build on its recent success as it aims to make its first Big Ten title game appearance and win this tournament for the first time ever.