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Big Ten against the Mountain West in the first round of March Madness.
Colorado State won the conference tournament to make it into the 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament field and the Rams now face a team that has been ranked in the top 25 this season.
Here is a look at Michigan State and CSU and what experts are predicting in the matchup.
The Spartans are 22-8 and a No. 5 seed. Michigan State finished seventh in the Big Ten before losing its first conference tournament game to Illinois.
Michigan State has lost four of its last six games, but ended the regular season ranked No. 18 in the coaches poll and No. 20 in the Associated Press poll.
Michigan State is the No. 10 scoring offense in the nation at 83 points per game and the Spartans are No. 11 in team 3-point percentage (37%).
The Spartans are led by 6-foot-3 senior guard Grace Van Slooten, who averages 15 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field. She does her damage exclusively inside, with only one 3-pointer attempted this season.
Sophomore guard Kennedy Blair is second on the team in scoring and first in rebounding at 7.1 per game and she leads the team with 5.4 assists per game.
This is Michigan State's third NCAA Tournament appearance in a row.
The Rams enter as a No. 12 seed with a 27-7 record and Mountain West tournament title.
It's CSU's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016.
The Rams are elite defensively, allowing the seventh-fewest points per game in Division I at 55 per game. CSU protects the ball, leading the nation at just 10.4 turnovers per game.
Indiana transfer Lexus Bargesser led CSU in scoring at 15.2 points per game, while also notching 5.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. But she was injured in the Mountain West semifinals and is expected to be out.
Sophomore Brooke Carlson is CSU's next leading scorer at 11.3 points per game and she leads the Rams with 3.1 assists per game. Fellow sophomore Kloe Froebe averages 10.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
CSU's last win in an NCAA Tournament game came in 2001 as a No. 9 seed with an 83-69 win over No. 8 Maryland.
Here are a variety of picks on the game:
ESPN: Bracketologist Charlie Creme picked every game in the tournament and has Michigan State beating CSU 76-56. ESPN's matchup predictor gives Michigan State a 92.7% chance to win.
The Athletic:Chantel Jennings has Michigan State winning (no final score prediction). The Athletic's projections metric has a 2% chance for a CSU win.
Michigan State opened as an 18.5-point favorite.
Sports reporter Kevin Lytle can be found on social media on X, Instagram and Threads @Kevin_Lytle and on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: CSU vs Michigan State prediction and Women’s March Madness bracket pick
Continue reading...
Colorado State won the conference tournament to make it into the 2026 Women's NCAA Tournament field and the Rams now face a team that has been ranked in the top 25 this season.
Here is a look at Michigan State and CSU and what experts are predicting in the matchup.
What to know about Michigan State
The Spartans are 22-8 and a No. 5 seed. Michigan State finished seventh in the Big Ten before losing its first conference tournament game to Illinois.
Michigan State has lost four of its last six games, but ended the regular season ranked No. 18 in the coaches poll and No. 20 in the Associated Press poll.
Michigan State is the No. 10 scoring offense in the nation at 83 points per game and the Spartans are No. 11 in team 3-point percentage (37%).
The Spartans are led by 6-foot-3 senior guard Grace Van Slooten, who averages 15 points and 6.6 rebounds while shooting 50% from the field. She does her damage exclusively inside, with only one 3-pointer attempted this season.
Sophomore guard Kennedy Blair is second on the team in scoring and first in rebounding at 7.1 per game and she leads the team with 5.4 assists per game.
This is Michigan State's third NCAA Tournament appearance in a row.
What to know about Colorado State
The Rams enter as a No. 12 seed with a 27-7 record and Mountain West tournament title.
It's CSU's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016.
The Rams are elite defensively, allowing the seventh-fewest points per game in Division I at 55 per game. CSU protects the ball, leading the nation at just 10.4 turnovers per game.
Indiana transfer Lexus Bargesser led CSU in scoring at 15.2 points per game, while also notching 5.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals per game. But she was injured in the Mountain West semifinals and is expected to be out.
Sophomore Brooke Carlson is CSU's next leading scorer at 11.3 points per game and she leads the Rams with 3.1 assists per game. Fellow sophomore Kloe Froebe averages 10.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
CSU's last win in an NCAA Tournament game came in 2001 as a No. 9 seed with an 83-69 win over No. 8 Maryland.
Predictions for Michigan State vs Colorado State in March Madness
Here are a variety of picks on the game:
ESPN: Bracketologist Charlie Creme picked every game in the tournament and has Michigan State beating CSU 76-56. ESPN's matchup predictor gives Michigan State a 92.7% chance to win.
The Athletic:Chantel Jennings has Michigan State winning (no final score prediction). The Athletic's projections metric has a 2% chance for a CSU win.
Michigan State opened as an 18.5-point favorite.
Sports reporter Kevin Lytle can be found on social media on X, Instagram and Threads @Kevin_Lytle and on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: CSU vs Michigan State prediction and Women’s March Madness bracket pick
Continue reading...
