In Fralick’s third season in East Lansing, the Spartans finished the regular season 22-7, with an 11-7 record in Big Ten play, and spent the entire year in the AP Top 25, reaching as high as No. 12. The team appeared on track to earn at least a No. 4 seed and host an opening-round site, but a rough stretch beginning Feb. 1 hurt those chances and ultimately cost the Spartans home-court advantage.

Since Feb. 1, when MSU fell to Michigan in the first-ever top-15 rivalry matchup, the Spartans have gone just 3-6, a stretch that included six ranked opponents.

The last of those games came against Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament, where the No. 7 seed Spartans were upset by No. 10 seed Illinois. That loss appears to have been the final blow to MSU's No. 4 seed hopes, with ESPN's Bracketology dropping them to No. 5 after the result.

Regardless, nothing can change the past, and all the Spartans can control now is what they do against CSU.

The Rams finished the regular season 24-7 and went on to win the Mountain West tournament as the No. 3 seed, riding a nine-game winning streak into the NCAA Tournament.

CSU senior guard Lexus Bargesser leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game while adding 5.8 rebounds. The Grass Lake, Michigan, native also brings a home-state connection to the matchup as she faces a team from her home state.

The pillar of the Rams is their defense. They have the seventh-best scoring defense in the nation, holding opponents to just 35% from the field. They also rarely turn the ball over, as they have turned the ball over the least in the nation with just 10.4 turnovers per game.

Though MSU is the higher seed in the matchup, CSU will provide a challenge for the Spartans, especially offensively. The game will take place Friday in Norman, Oklahoma, with the time yet to be announced.