Michigan State will compete in their Sweet 16 matchup on Thursday afternoon, after an upset win Sunday over Marquette.
Because the game takes place in New York, N.Y., students are preparing to cheer their team on from the comfort of their own home — or the comfort of their favorite bar.
Animal science sophomore Lauren Ringewold has followed the Big 10 men’s basketball league through the entire season and plans to watch the game in her dorm with her suite mate and “probably a lot of Chinese food.”
She prefers watching the game in private, rather than being with a large group of people, saying that being an introvert makes her more comfortable with just being with her friend.
“I’m too scared to tackle (Grand River Avenue) or any place that is doing watch parties because that’s too many people for me,” Ringewold said.
Mechanical engineering sophomore Nathan Nguyen-Tran has also followed the team throughout the entire season. Nguyen-Tran was a little surprised that the Spartans beat Marquette but is excited to watch the game against Kansas State.
“It was kind of shocking that we won though, not gonna lie,” Nguyen-Tran said. “I think it’ll be a good game, a good matchup.”
Nguyen-Tran has had a routine of going to joints on Grand River Avenue to watch the games since March Madness started. He enjoys that many places put the games on, while serving food and drinks. The strip of bars and restaurants “seems like ‘the spot."
Although Grand River Avenue is bustling with students during game day, English sophomore Olivia Twa finds more comfort in watching the game with her friends in their dorm.
Twa said that she began watching games in her friend's dorm last year and it became a game-day ritual since then. She's been an avid basketball fan for a few years and is extremely invested in the men’s team this year and how they will perform against Kansas State.
Ringewold also has superstitions that she believes helps throughout the entire game. For example, she always uses “the magic fingers for free throws,” a technique that she learned while attending basketball games in high school.
She hopes that if she watches the game in her dorm and uses the magic fingers, along with the help of the team's skills, the Spartans have a good chance of winning.
“They have a lot of support backing them,” Ringewold said. “That always helps when you’ve got a ton of people that are supporting you.”
