Forward Jamal Olasewere said if they can get a tournament win, the selection committee might move them up next time.

“For the committee to understand mid-majors can play with big-time schools like Michigan State, an upset like this would have to be pulled off,” Olasewere said. “After that, they can reconsider how they do their seeding.”

LIU Brooklyn is the Northeast Conference champion and has the nation’s third highest-scoring offense, averaging 81.9 points per game, and head coach Jim Ferry feels more confidence in his team with a tournament appearance under its belt.

“We’re a year older, mature basketball players, they’ve approached it better, they know what to expect,” Ferry said. “They’ve taken a more businesslike approach to this whole thing.”

Although a No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 seed, UNC-Asheville gave top-seeded Syracuse a scare earlier Thursday, and LIU Brooklyn took notice.

“UNC-Asheville played a great game, but we’re not going out there to play a great game,” Olasewere said. “We’re gonna go out there hoping we come out victorious. We might be a 16 seed, but I feel like this tournament is built for upsets.”

And the 6-foot-7 Olasewere is banking on the fact his team can outrun the Spartans. He and NEC Player of the Year Julian Boyd are the tallest starters on the team.

“They’re 6-9, 6-8, 6-7, most of their bigs are heavy-set, and me and Julian feel we can use our quickness and speed,” he said. “Hopefully that’ll work.”

But Ferry knows MSU is more than size.

“What people don’t realize is they run a lot more than people think, conversion defense is going to be a huge part of this game,” he said. “And they have a star, a top-5 player in the country that does everything for them.”

The Blackbirds have a player in Boyd who has drawn comparisons to that Spartan — senior forward Draymond Green.

“He’s definitely a great person to be compared to, an All-American,” Boyd said. “To be mentioned with him is great, there’s things he does that are like me in a sense. Once (Friday) comes, it’ll be a great matchup.”

Ferry has confidence in his team because of the team’s New York state of mind, as the team is a “melting-pot” of players from across the country, from Boyd’s Texas to Olasewere’s Maryland.
“It epitomizes New York: It’s a melting pot. They fit right into New York,” he said. “They respect everybody, but they don’t necessarily fear anybody. I think that’s the approach of a New York City person. I don’t see these guys backing down from anybody.”