Julie Pagel knows exactly what she wants for her birthday - a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
The junior forward's 21st birthday is today - two days before the March 16 committee selection date - but Pagel has already made plans to accept the belated present.
"It's two days overdue, but nevertheless, it'd be a great gift," she said. "It's something none of us have been to, and we all really want to go where we've never been."
Although Jennifer Callier's birthday arrives two days before Pagel's, the MSU center has another reason to seek a bid this year - she's a senior.
This season is Callier's fourth, yet each year of her career, the NCAA committee has passed on giving MSU an elusive postseason nod.
But this year more than ever, the Spartans are making a noise that's hard to ignore.
MSU is home to the recipients of the first joint Big Ten Freshman of the Year award, guard Lindsay Bowen and forward Liz Shimek. Sophomore guard Kristin Haynie, senior forward Syreeta Bromfield and sophomore center Kelli Roehrig join Bowen and Shimek on an elite list of all-Big Ten players - the most in the conference this season and in MSU history.
A 71-55 loss to the Buckeyes in the second round of the conference tournament ended Big Ten play on a sour note, but statistics show just one Big Ten team in history - out of 31 that racked up 10 conference wins - was denied a NCAA bid, regardless of its conference tournament finish.
It seems nearly impossible that the Spartans would be overlooked with a 10-6 conference record. Three wins came against ranked squads, then-No. 7 Purdue, then-No. 10 Minnesota and then-No. 22 Ohio State, something women's basketball analyst Ed Clark said speaks volumes for MSU's chances.
"They have a couple of really high-quality wins and most of the teams they're competing against (for a bid) don't have that," said Clark, an analyst for www.womenscollegehoops.com. "And playing in the third-toughest conference is definitely a good thing.
"I feel pretty confident about them making it. As long as the conference tournaments left go to plan, they're in great shape."
MSU's 17-11 record is the best since head coach Joanne P. McCallie took over the reins in March 2000. The Spartans already have seven more victories than their first year under McCallie, (10-18). And March Madness hasn't even begun.
Bromfield might only be in her second year as a Spartan, but she's been around long enough to have contributed to last season's run to the semifinal of the Women's National Invitation Tournament. Bromfield said she is more than ready to move on to bigger and better things.
Like becoming one of 64.
"Right now whatever tournament we get in will make the team better for next year," Bromfield said. "But the NCAA Tournament would be perfect right now."
