Congratulations Michigan State, you just won the Big Ten Tournament! You are rewarded by being in Duke’s region and falling to a No. 2 seed instead of a No. 1  seed. Michigan State should be the No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament because they are one of the four best teams in the country, regardless of the committee’s choices.

After beating Michigan for the third time this season in the Big Ten Championship game, MSU got to watch the selection committee give four other teams the No. 1 seed and pushed Michigan State to a No. 2 seed. The four other teams that were given the No.1 seed were Duke, Virginia, North Carolina, and No. 1 overall team and the No.1 seed Duke. If you look at the numbers  there isn’t  a metric that would prove Michigan State does not deserve to be a No. 1 seed. According to ESPN.com, Michigan State has the most quadrant one wins of any other team in the NCAA. Michigan State has 13 quadrant one wins, and the next closest amount of quadrant one wins is No. 1 seed Virginia with 12. Two other one seeds including Gonzaga (4), and North Carolina (10) didn’t even have 15 quadrant wins combined.

Michigan State should be a No. 1 seed because they are the only team to win the regular season and tournament conference championship of any of the No. 1 seeds. Michigan State beat Michigan on the last game of the regular season on March 9  75-63, thus crowning Michigan State as co-regular season Champions with Purdue and the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Ten Tournament. Michigan State went on to play Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament Championship game, and  won that game against Michigan on March 17 65-60. Duke, Virginia, North Carolina, and Gonzaga were unable to do that  yet Michigan State arguably won the hardest conference in the regular season and,  in the tournament. This proves why Michigan State should be a No. 1 seed because it shows that not only could Michigan State win a Big Ten Tournament over a weekend,  they could also win 16 out of their 20 games in the Big Ten conference during the regular season that spanned  over three months.

Michigan State should be a No. 1 seed because they had a very hard schedule. According to CBSsports.com, Michigan State had the 12th hardest strength of schedule in NCAA. Two of the No. 1 seeds do have a harder schedule, which is Duke who has the second hardest and North Carolina who has the 3rd hardest strength of schedule.  However, the two other No. 1 seeds do not have a very hard schedule at all with  Virginia at No. 24 and Gonzaga all the way down at 58. How can someone say Gonzaga should be a No. 1 seed over Michigan State when they haven’t played nearly as tough of a schedule Michigan State has played?

Michigan State should be a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament because they have the most quadrant one wins of any team in basketball, they won the regular season and tournament championship, and they had one of the hardest strength of schedule of any team . Regardless of seed, MSU will just have to prove themselves at the Sweet Sixteen.