Spartans aren’t known to root for Wolverines, but as the MSU women’s basketball team (20-11 overall, 11-5 Big Ten) waited to see if it made the NCAA Tournament, the school from Ann Arbor gave reason to hope.
Michigan was announced as the No. 11 seed in the first region unveiled during the NCAA Tournament Selection Show Monday night, and MSU head coach Suzy Merchant said seeing a bubble team the Spartans beat twice make the field, helped quell some of her nerves.
“When I saw (U-M get in), I initially felt a sense of relief,” Merchant said. “I felt we had perhaps more quality wins, we finished stronger than them (and) had beaten them twice, so I felt good when I saw them, but you don’t know if you were one of the teams that would get the short end of the stick.”
The worry was quickly alleviated, as the Spartans learned they are the No. 10 seed in the Raleigh region and will face No. 7 seed Louisville (22-9 overall, 10-6 Big East) in College Park, Md. on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
Although there were signs MSU was going to make the field as some of the other teams were announced, Porschè Poole said her anxiety wasn’t relieved until MSU’s name flashed across the TV screen.
In that moment, the senior guard said she felt the culmination of the team overcoming its early season struggles and accomplishing a major goal.
“I was so nervous, (but) when they said our name it was the best feeling,” she said. “It means a lot. It shows how we turned around the season at the end. It wasn’t looking too good early, but I think we’re playing our best basketball right now, so I feel real good about our seed and the bracket we’re in.”
It’s the first time the Big Ten has received seven bids to the NCAA Tournament and Merchant said it demonstrates the strength of the conference.
The head coach admitted she has only seen a few minutes of Louisville this season, but does know how talented the Cardinals’ leading scorer Shoni Shimmel is because she recruited the guard out of high school.
MSU will learn more about Louisville over the next few days, and senior forward Lykendra Johnson said the team has already been given video of their opponent to take home and review, and she plans to use the film extensively.
“(I study) a lot,” she said. “I’m a film head. There’s never one day where I don’t have film.”
Johnson has said throughout the season that it was critically important to the senior class to make the tournament in their final season, and with that goal completed, fellow senior Taylor Alton said the group feels a sense of urgency to finish their collegiate careers the right way.
“It’s our last chance,” Alton said. “I’m going to fight like heck … and try to get everybody to be where we need to be — physically, mentally sharp and as ready to go as we possibly can (be) to put ourselves in the best position to win.“
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
