Michigan State basketball Sweet 16 picks vs UConn: Underdogs, or Huskies?
Four Free Press sports writers sound off on whether Michigan State basketball can take down UConn in Friday's Sweet 16 matchup in Washington.
Whatever happened to the 2-seed/3-seed Sweet 16 matchup? Over the past 10 NCAA tournaments (2016-25), just 14 of the 40 potential regions have featured a 2-3 matchup. That might have seemed like bad news for East 3-seed Michigan State basketball before March Madness tipped off.
But hey! – The Spartans made it, as did 2-seed Connecticut, as they match up on Friday, March 27 (9:45 p. m.
, CBS). The worse news for MSU? Of those 14 2-3 Sweet 16 games, the 3-seed has pulled off the upset just 5 times – and just twice in the past six tourneys: 2023, when Gonzaga dropped UCLA, and 2024, when Illinois flipped Iowa State.
(Though, we'll note: There's already one 2-3 upset in this year's tourney, with Illinois taking down Houston in the South region on Thursday. ) Does that mean Jeremy Fears Jr. and the Spartans are doomed against the Huskies?