Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell Photography
Spartans Earn No. 3 Seed in East Region, Extend NCAA Tournament Streak to 28 Straight
3/15/2026 6:21:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State has earned a bid to its 28th consecutive NCAA Tournament, extending the longest NCAA Tournament streak in Big Ten history.
The Spartans (25-7, 15-5 Big Ten) received a No. 3 seed and will face No. 14 seed North Dakota State (27-7, 14-2 Summit League) in the first round of the East Region on Thursday, March 19 at approximately 2:45 p.m. on CBS. The game will be played at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
The winner between the Spartans and the Bison will take on the winner of No. 6 seed Louisville/No. 11 seed USF on Saturday, March 21.
"It's an exciting time," Head Coach Tom Izzo said. "The one thing I told my team upstairs — and some of you were there — is that it's fun and a little sad every time I watch it now. We used to be one of those teams sitting on the edge of our seats, cheering, yelling, screaming and excited that we got into the tournament. I hope our fans and our players realize that it's still an accomplishment — a big accomplishment — and it's fun to feel that way.
"I don't know a lot about North Dakota State yet. I know they were 27-7 and won both the regular season and the conference tournament. I don't know the head coach, Dave Richman, but he's had 11 seasons there and this is his fourth NCAA Tournament appearance at different schools, so he has some experience.
"But I'm really excited about this. It's one game at a time. It's Thursday. We're in Buffalo. I have no idea what time the game will be. Sometimes you like playing on Friday instead of Thursday because you get a little rest if you go a little deeper in the tournament. One advantage of not going deep in the tournament is we should be ready to go by Thursday and play a game and then watch it all unfold like we do every year."
Michigan State's streak of 28 straight NCAA Tournaments is not only a Big Ten record, it's also tied for the longest in NCAA history (Kansas, 28, 1990-2017) and is officially recognized by the NCAA as the nation's longest current streak. Kansas has an actual streak of 35 from 1990 to present, but its 2018 appearance was later vacated by the IARP.
Tom Izzo also extended his record by coaching his team to 28 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2023, Izzo became the first men's basketball head coach in history to lead his team to 25 straight NCAA Tournament appearances (previous record: Duke's Mike Krzyzewski with 24 in a row from 1996-2019).
North Dakota State won both the Summit League regular season and tournament titles. The Bison defeated North Dakota in the Summit League championship game, 70-62.
This marks the first-ever meeting between Michigan State and NDSU.
Michigan State is making its 39th appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 76-37 (.673) in its previous 38 tournaments. MSU has made 10 trips to the Final Four (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019) and captured the NCAA Championship in 1979 and 2000.
MSU's .673 winning percentage is the ninth-best all-time in NCAA Tournament play, while the program's 73 total victories rank sixth all-time. Michigan State's 10 Final Four appearances are tied for sixth most, and the 39 NCAA Tournament appearances are tied for ninth most.
The East Regional is set for March 27 and March 29 (Friday, Sunday) at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The 2026 Final Four will be held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 4 and April 6 (Saturday, Monday).
The Spartans (25-7, 15-5 Big Ten) received a No. 3 seed and will face No. 14 seed North Dakota State (27-7, 14-2 Summit League) in the first round of the East Region on Thursday, March 19 at approximately 2:45 p.m. on CBS. The game will be played at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York.
The winner between the Spartans and the Bison will take on the winner of No. 6 seed Louisville/No. 11 seed USF on Saturday, March 21.
"It's an exciting time," Head Coach Tom Izzo said. "The one thing I told my team upstairs — and some of you were there — is that it's fun and a little sad every time I watch it now. We used to be one of those teams sitting on the edge of our seats, cheering, yelling, screaming and excited that we got into the tournament. I hope our fans and our players realize that it's still an accomplishment — a big accomplishment — and it's fun to feel that way.
"I don't know a lot about North Dakota State yet. I know they were 27-7 and won both the regular season and the conference tournament. I don't know the head coach, Dave Richman, but he's had 11 seasons there and this is his fourth NCAA Tournament appearance at different schools, so he has some experience.
"But I'm really excited about this. It's one game at a time. It's Thursday. We're in Buffalo. I have no idea what time the game will be. Sometimes you like playing on Friday instead of Thursday because you get a little rest if you go a little deeper in the tournament. One advantage of not going deep in the tournament is we should be ready to go by Thursday and play a game and then watch it all unfold like we do every year."
Michigan State's streak of 28 straight NCAA Tournaments is not only a Big Ten record, it's also tied for the longest in NCAA history (Kansas, 28, 1990-2017) and is officially recognized by the NCAA as the nation's longest current streak. Kansas has an actual streak of 35 from 1990 to present, but its 2018 appearance was later vacated by the IARP.
Tom Izzo also extended his record by coaching his team to 28 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. In 2023, Izzo became the first men's basketball head coach in history to lead his team to 25 straight NCAA Tournament appearances (previous record: Duke's Mike Krzyzewski with 24 in a row from 1996-2019).
North Dakota State won both the Summit League regular season and tournament titles. The Bison defeated North Dakota in the Summit League championship game, 70-62.
This marks the first-ever meeting between Michigan State and NDSU.
Michigan State is making its 39th appearance in the NCAA Tournament with a record of 76-37 (.673) in its previous 38 tournaments. MSU has made 10 trips to the Final Four (1957, 1979, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2015, 2019) and captured the NCAA Championship in 1979 and 2000.
MSU's .673 winning percentage is the ninth-best all-time in NCAA Tournament play, while the program's 73 total victories rank sixth all-time. Michigan State's 10 Final Four appearances are tied for sixth most, and the 39 NCAA Tournament appearances are tied for ninth most.
The East Regional is set for March 27 and March 29 (Friday, Sunday) at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. The 2026 Final Four will be held at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on April 4 and April 6 (Saturday, Monday).
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