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Bracketology 2021: Duke, Michigan State and Houston among biggest losers

By Tristan Freeman

ANN ARBOR, MI - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on in the first half of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Arena on February 8, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - FEBRUARY 08: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans looks on in the first half of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Arena on February 8, 2020 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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Michigan State Aaron Henry Bracketology
Michigan State Aaron Henry Bracketology /

Michigan State Spartans (9-7, 3-7)

Part of Bracketology in the month of February is seeing who actually is on the bubble. There are teams who we can say are clearly “in” and those who are clearly “out” and will need their respective conference tournaments to get in. After the results of this past week, it’s time to put the Michigan State Spartans into the “out” category for a while.

The only thing that has kept them even in the conversation is that the Big Ten is filled with Quad 1 opportunities that can enhance a resume in ways that many other programs viewed on the bubble can’t. However, that only matters if a team takes advantage and gets the win.

Michigan State didn’t do that, getting blown out at Ohio State before losing at Iowa in a close game on the road this past week. Neither game is a bad loss at all but it adds to the loss column, making the Spartans just two games over .500 and near the bottom of the Big Ten standings. What hurts them, even more, is that their non-conference victories over Duke and Notre Dame currently mean very little on the resume.

Michigan State has a NET Ranking nearly at 100 and was on a four-game losing streak before beating Nebraska, which probably hurts their numbers more than helps at this moment in time. Their remaining schedule is either at home against top-10 teams in the Big Ten or on the road against bubble teams. The Spartans will need to win the majority of them just to get back on the bubble. And nothing they’ve done on the court suggests that’s possible.

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