The MSU women's basketball team welcomed its eighth-seed selection in the NCAA Tournament with an eruption of cheers Sunday evening.
Head coach Joanne P. McCallie said nothing tastes sweeter than the team's efforts being rewarded.
"These kids have earned it," said McCallie, who joined her team at the Berkowitz Basketball Complex to watch pairing announcements. "We've taken a lot of steps and we have some very good basketball left in us.
"The committee showed a great deal of respect to us with the No. 8 seed."
Playing in the East bracket, MSU (17-11) will square off against ninth-seeded Texas Christian (19-13) on Sunday at Joseph J. Morrone Stadium in Storrs, Conn.
The announcement of MSU's pairings didn't come quick enough for anxious players waiting to see the team's name appear on the television screen. Thirty-four of the 64 teams to make the tournament were unveiled before the Spartans were called.
Each Spartan handled the wait in her own way. Junior forward Julie Pagel remained confident, and said she knew MSU had earned its way to play among the elite.
"The wait is the best part," Pagel said. "When I saw Illinois on the screen, I just thought, 'OK, they're taking six Big Ten teams.'"
Down the table from Pagel sat senior forward Syreeta Bromfield. MSU's leading scorer fidgeted nervously in her seat throughout, leaving the room to pace in the lobby during commercials.
"It was hot, my hands got sweaty," Bromfield said. "But I'm glad all of our hard work finally paid off."
This nomination is the Spartans' fourth to the tourney and their first since 1997. Each appearance has ended with a second round elimination.
The first-round opponent this year, Texas Christian, earned an automatic nod by upsetting Cincinnati 85-76 in overtime for the Conference USA Tournament title.
Before the Spartans meet Texas Christian for the first time ever, McCallie is planning hefty study sessions for the team to familiarize with the unfamiliar opponent.
A first-round win would almost guarantee a home-court matchup against top-seeded Connecticut (31-1), the defending national champions and No. 2 squad in the nation. The Huskies lost 52-48 to Villanova in the final game of the Big East tournament, snapping a remarkable 70-game winning streak.
But MSU doesn't fear the dominant squad. Pagel said her squad is calm and focused on the task at hand.
"You don't just get there by being a name, you gotta prove it," she said. "We've proved ourselves, and now this is the start of something really good."
Dawn Klemish can be reached at klemishd@msu.edu.
