No. 5-Seed MSU Opens NCAA Tournament against No. 12-Seed Colorado State Friday

Friday, March 20

Norman, Okla.

7:30 PM ET

Michigan State University

(12) Colorado State

No. 5-Seed MSU Opens NCAA Tournament against No. 12-Seed Colorado State Friday

3/17/2026 7:01:00 PM | Women's Basketball

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This is just the second meeting between the Spartans and the Rams,

EAST LANSING, Mich. - No. 5-seed Michigan State women's basketball opens the 2026 NCAA Tournament against No. 12-seed Colorado State in the first round on Friday, March 20. Tipoff time is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. Sam Gore and Tamika Catchings will be on the call for ESPNews.

• MSU's No. 5 seed is the Spartans' highest in the three seasons under head coach Robyn Fralick. Overall, it is Michigan State's highest ranking since 2016, when the Spartans were a No. 4 seed.

• Michigan State comes into the tournament with a 22-8 record and were 11-7 in the highly competitive Big Ten Conference. For the second time in conference history, 12 programs earned berths into the NCAA Tournament

• The Spartans and Rams have only met on the hardwood one other time, facing off in the 2011 Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico, with MSU defeating CSU, 72-45, on Dec. 20, 2011. Colorado State comes into the NCAA Tournament with a 27-7 overall record and were 15-5 in Mountain West action.

• Against Illinois on March 5, guard Kennedy Blair netted a career-high 30 points, becoming the first Spartan with 30 points in a game since former teammate Julia Ayrault had 32 points vs. Richmond on Dec. 21, 2024.

SPARTANS IN THE BIG DANCE
Michigan State will be the No. 5-seed in the Sacramento Regional of the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and will take on 12th-seeded Colorado State on Friday, March 20. The winner of the Michigan State-Colorado State game will advance to the second round to meet the winner of regional No. 4 seed and host, Oklahoma, and 13th-seeded Idaho.

The Spartans are making their 21st overall trip to the "Big Dance." MSU has made it to the NCAA Tournament in 18 of the last 23 completed seasons.

This is the fifth time that the Spartans have earned the No. 5 seed. The last time was in 2014 in Chapel Hill. They also earned the honor in 2013, 2010 and 2007. Overall, Michigan State is 4-4 as the No. 5 seed.

SCOUTING THE RAMS
Colorado State is 27-7 overall (15-5 Mountain West) this season and defeated Air Force, 56-42, to win its first Mountain West Tournament title since 2016. The Rams are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2016, second under head coach Ryun Williams and seventh overall NCAA appearance in program history. The Rams are winners of nine-straight games.

The Rams were led by All-Mountain West senior guard Lexus Bargesser, who averaged a team-leading 15.2 points per game, before she suffered a season-ending injury in the MWC Tournament against UNLV. Bargesser was named the conference's Newcomer of the Year in 2026 after spending the previous three seasons at Indiana. Sophomore guards Brooke Carlson (11.3 ppg) and Kloe Froebe (10.7 ppg) are also averaging double-digit points per game, while Froebe leads the Rams in rebounds per game with 6.8 rpg.

Williams holds a 281-156 record in 14 seasons with the Rams. He is the winningest coach in Colorado State women's basketball history.

SPARTANS AGAINST COLORADO STATE
MSU is 1-0 all-time against the Rams, having last met on Dec. 20, 2011 in the Caribbean Classic in Cancun, Mexico. The Spartans won that contest, 72-45.

RAMS VS. THE FIELD OF 68
Colorado State has played one team – 12th-seeded Gonzaga – in the field of 68. The Rams won on the road, 70-66, on Nov. 13.

MSU AND CSU COMMON OPPONENTS
The Spartans and Rams have not shared any common opponents this season.

Michigan State is a combined 6-1 vs. teams from the Mountain West Conference, along with a 1-0 mark against Colorado State, the Spartans are 3-0 vs. Fresno State, 0-1 vs. Hawai'i, 1-0 vs. San Diego State and 1-0 vs. Wyoming.

DID YOU KNOW?
Graduate forward Marah Dykstra will see a familiar face on the Colorado State bench. CSU forward Lexi Deden also played four seasons at Montana State before transferring this season. Dykstra was a Bobcat for three seasons before making her way to East Lansing.

COLLECTING WINS
The Spartans have reached the 22-win mark all three seasons of the Robyn Fralick era. This is the fastest season to hit 22 wins. MSU heads into the NCAA Tournament with a 22-8 record. The last time Michigan State earned more than 22 wins was the 2015-16 season when the Spartans went 25-9.

BY THE NUMBERS vs. ILLINOIS | BIG TEN TOURNAMENT

Michigan State faced Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2008, and the fifth overall time in the B1G Tournament. The Spartans were the No. 7 seed for the first time since the 1998-99 season and this was only the second time that Michigan State was the seventh-seed.
MSU now has a 26-30 overall Big Ten Tournament record.
Senior guard Jalyn Brown tallied 12 points to register double-figures in four of the last five games as part of eight of the last 10 contests. Overall, it was Brown's 17th double-figure outing of the season.

BLAIR RE-WRITING THE RECORD BOOKS
Redshirt-sophomore Kennedy Blair dished out five assists against Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament on March 5, improving her single-season total to 162, moving up to No. 6 on MSU's single-season assists list, passing Tori Jankoska's 160 assists in 2016-17. The five assists gave Blair 184 for her career, now under 100 helpers from cracking into MSU's career top 20 assists list, as Carlotta Taylor (1986-90) holds the No. 20 mark with 283 helpers.

However, Blair's career assists average of 3.68 apg (184 assists in 50 career games), holds at No. 13 on MSU's career assists per game list, sandwiched in between a pair of Spartan greats in passing Shay Colley (2017-20) with 3.5 apg and just behind Tori Jankoska (2013-17) with 3.7 apg.

FIRST TIMERS CLUB
Several Spartans are making their NCAA Tournament debuts, including junior guard Rashunda Jones, who came to MSU from Purdue. Senior guard Jalyn Brown will make her first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Louisville reached the Elite Eight her freshman season, but she did not play. Newcomers Amy and Anna Terrian and Sara Sambolić will also look to make their postseason debuts. Kennedy Blair played limited minutes in the Spartans' two NCAA Tournament games last season.

FRALICK TO JOIN TEAM USA STAFF
Michigan State women's basketball coach Robyn Fralick has been named an assistant coach for the women's U18 National Team.

She will be joined by Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey and California head coach Charmin Smith. They will be leading the FIBA U18 AmeriCup team this summer. Ivey will be the U18 head coach. Fralick will help lead the USA at the 2026 FIBA U18 Women's AmeriCup, set for June 8-14. The United State will look to capture their 12th-straight gold medal and 13th overall since the tournament's inception in 1988.

THREE SPARTANS EARN POSTSEASON HONORS
Senior forward Grace VanSlooten and redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair were named second-team All-Big Ten selections by both the coaches and the media. Junior guard Rashunda Jones was named to the All-Defensive team by the media.

VanSlooten, a native of Toledo, Ohio, captured her second-straight All-Big Ten honor when she was named to the second team. She is now a four-time all-conference honoree, as she also garnered All-Pac 12 honorable mention honors as both a freshman and a sophomore while at Oregon.

Blair, a Dearborn, Michigan, native, earned the first All-B1G honor of her career with second-team accolades. She is currently second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 ppg. Blair joins VanSlooten as the only Spartan to start every game.

Jones, who hails from South Bend, Indiana, was named to the All-Defensive team in her first season at Michigan State after transferring from Purdue. Jones is currently fifth in the Big Ten in steals, averaging 2.14 spg. She is the first Spartan to earn a spot on the All-Defensive team since Aerial Powers during the 2014-15 season. At Purdue, she was voted onto the All-Freshman team during the 2023-24 season.

ROBYN'S NEST
The Breslin Center has become home right away for head coach Robyn Fralick. She boasts a 37-7 record at home in three seasons at Michigan State. In her first season in 2023-24, the Spartans went 13-2 with their only losses coming to Nebraska and Ohio State. In 2024-25, MSU was also 13-2 with losses to Oregon and Michigan. So far this season, the Spartans are 11-3 at the Breslin Center.

GETTING IN THE STARTING LINEUP
After using the same starting lineup for seven games, Michigan State used a different starting lineup against Clemson on Nov. 30. After an injury to Theryn Hallock, MSU went with the lineup for senior forward Grace VanSlooten, senior forward Marah Dykstra, senior guard Emma Shumate, junior guard Rashunda Jones and redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair. MSU is 2-1 with that lineup. MSU rolled out its third lineup against Indiana State with Blair, Jones, Van Slooten, Inés Sotelo and Sara Sambolić, which is now 1-0. The Spartans changed it up for a fourth time against No. 15 Ole Miss and Rutgers with VanSlooten, Jones, Blair, Sotelo and Isaline Alexander making the starting five.

Yet another lineup was debuted against Indiana in Blair, Jones, VanSlooten, Sotelo and Jalyn Brown with that group improving to 8-5 after a loss to No. 7 Michigan on Feb. 15. Against NU, MSU used the lineup of Blair, Brown, Van Slooten, Sotelo and Sambolić. The Spartans seventh starting lineup was unveiled against Minnesota on Feb. 22 with Sambolić, Brown, Alexander, VanSlooten and Blair. Against No. 13 Ohio State, Blair, Sambolić, Brown, Shumate and VanSlooten were the starters. VanSlooten and Blair the only Spartans to start all 30 games.

GRACE GOT GAME
Against Illinois in the Big Ten Tournament, senior forward Grace VanSlooten registered 13 points and nine rebounds, just missing a double-double and marking the fourth time this season that she's had nine rebounds and double-figure points. VanSlooten's 13 points was her 16th double-figure scoring outing in the last 17 games as part of the 27th time out of the 30 games this season. VanSlooten has posted 10+ points in 56 of 61 total games as a Spartan and in 111 out of 124 total games in her collegiate career, with 57 double-figure scoring outings during her two seasons at Oregon.

PACKING THE HOUSE
The 11,635 fans that packed into the Breslin Center against Michigan on Feb. 1 were the most during the three seasons of the Robyn Fralick era. It was the most since Feb. 23, 2020 against Michigan. Overall, it was No. 15 all-time at MSU.

CLOSING IN
During the 2024-25 season, Michigan State set the school record for steals with 389. This season, the Spartans already have 347 steals. They are just 42 away from breaking the record. MSU set the record for scoring averaging during the 2023-24 season with 82.8 ppg. MSU is already ahead of that average with 83.0 ppg. MSU is also closing in on the points record. During the Final Four season of 2004-05, the Spartans scored 2,628 points. In 30 games this season, MSU has scored 2,491 points. It is now just 137 points away from breaking that record.

HAVE TO PLAY THE BEST TO BE THE BEST
Overall, the match-up with No. 13/13 Ohio State was the Spartans' 10th ranked battle of the season. Michigan State is now 4-6 vs. ranked opponents, starting with a neutral court win over No. 15/15 Ole Miss, 66-49 (12/22/25 in Cherokee, North Carolina), a road win at No. 23/23 Washington, 82-67, a home win over No. 24/RV Nebraska, 73-71 (1/15/26) and Sunday's win over No. 23/23 Minnesota (2/22/26). MSU has losses at No. 11/13 Iowa, 75-68 (1/18/25), home loss vs. No. 9/9 Michigan, 94-91 in OT (2/1/26), a home loss to No. 22/19 Maryland, 86-70 (1/4/26), an 86-63 home loss to No. 2/2 UCLA, and at loss at No. 7/7 Michigan (2/15/26). MSU had a win over No. 23/23 Minnesota (2/22/26) and a loss to No. 13/12 Ohio State (3/1/26.)

SPARTANS VS. THE NCAA
After 30 games, Michigan State stands ninth in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.40). The Spartans are 10th in the NCAA and third in the Big Ten in scoring offense (83.0 ppg). MSU is ninth in the country in field goal percentage, 48.1 percent and 10th in assists (18.2 apg). Redshirt-sophomore guard Kennedy Blair is 24th in the NCAA in assists per game (5.4 apg).

STRONG BENCH
The Spartans' 59 points scored by their bench was more than Eastern Illinois' entire team scoring of 53 points on Nov. 20. Against DePaul on Dec. 14, the Spartan bench scored 44 of 90 points. MSU kept that trend up against Indiana State with 64 bench points. This season, the MSU bench has out-scored opponents 763-471. The Spartans are 17-2 this season when their bench out-scored their opponent.

SMITH SELECTED TO WBCA NGI
Michigan State assistant coach Bianca Smith was selected by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) to join the 2026 class of the WBCA Next Generation Institute. The WBCA Next Generation Institute is a high-level education program for experienced assistant coaches who aspire to become collegiate head coaches. Now in its fourth year, the curriculum of the WBCA Next Generation Institute focuses on the CEO attributes needed to lead a program and be a problem-solver in today's ever-changing landscape of higher education and the enterprise of intercollegiate athletics. She joins Latara King from Washington and Abby Sharp from Iowa as Big Ten coaches participating.

FUTURE IS BRIGHT
Lilly Williams became the first future Spartan since Sidney Cooks in 2017 to be named a McDonald's All-American. Williams plays at Howell high school for her senior season after winning National HomeSchool Christian National Championships.

NO NIGHTS OFF IN THE BIG TEN
The Big Ten continues to be one of the toughest conferences in the country with six teams in the top 15 in the rankings. In the AP poll, UCLA is No. 2, while Iowa is No. 7. Michigan, Ohio State and Maryland are No. 9 and No. 12 and No. 17, respectively. Minnesota is No. 18, while Michigan State stands No. 20. Oregon and Illinois are also receiving votes.

BIG TIME BIG TEN NUMBERS
The Spartans are third in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 83.0 ppg and fourth in scoring margin (+17.1). Michigan State is also second in turnover margin (+7.14). The Spartans stand third in assists per game, averaging 18.2 apg and second in steals per game with 11.6 spg.

Individually, Kennedy Blair is third in the league in steals per game, averaging 2.33 spg, while Rashunda Jones is fifth, averaging 2.14 spg, while Blair is also fourth in assists with 5.40 apg. Grace VanSlooten is 12th in the league in field goal percentage (.499).

FINDING THE MAGIC NUMBER
Michigan State's 102 points against Oakland on Nov. 23 marked the Spartans' sixth time out of six games scoring 90+ points. MSU's 90 points against DePaul on Dec. 14 was the first time reaching 90 in the last four games, after the Spartans had scored 90 or more points in each of the first six games of the season. MSU is now 7-1 when scoring 90+ points with the only loss coming against Michigan on Feb. 1.

The Spartans' 115 points in the win against Indiana State on Dec. 21 was MSU's second-most of the season, behind the season-high 125 points in the season-opener vs. Mercyhurst (11/4/25). The Spartans reached 100 points in a 104-68 win over Northwestern on Feb. 18. It was Michigan State's fifth 100-point game, moving to 5-0.

BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE
By winning the 2025 Cherokee Invitational crown, Michigan State not only defended its 2023 Cherokee Invitational championship, but also collected its second tournament title of the season after winning the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship of the Junkanoo Division in the Bahamas on Nov. 30. It is also MSU's fourth tournament title in the last three seasons after winning the 2023 Cherokee Invitational and the 2024 Acrisure Classic crown last season in Palm Springs, Calif.

BRINGING HOME THE GOLD
Three players earned gold medals for their home countries this summer. Grace VanSlooten won the FIBA Women's Americup for Team USA. Marah Dykstra won gold for Canada in the FIBA 3x3 Junior Pan American Games. Inés Sotelo and Spain won a gold medal in the 2025 FIBA Eurobasket.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced senior forward Grace VanSlooten and senior guard Abbey Kimball as team captains, as voted on by the players on the 2025-26 women's basketball team. This is the first time that either has been named a captain for Michigan State. VanSlooten is in her second season with MSU after transferring from Oregon. Kimball is in her fourth season as a Spartan.