It was a disappointing weekend, for both Michigan and Michigan State at the Big Ten tournament. The Spartans dropped their opening game  against Maryland 68-57, meanwhile the Wolverines were defeated by rival Ohio State 68-67 in the semi-final. The one positive is that both teams heard their names called on Selection Sunday.

Michigan was placed as the number 1 seed in the East region and will play the winner of Mount St Mary’s and Texas Southern. Michigan has been impressive all season long and currently sit at 20-4. They are a very experienced team with five seniors that play meaningful minutes. Senior captain Isaiah Livers is currently out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his foot, which is a huge loss for the team. The Wolverines despite being the lowest #1 seed got quite a favorable draw, having to play either LSU or St Bonaventure in the second round should they win their opening game.  Also, Michigan was able to avoid having Iowa or Ohio State as the #2 seed in their region, which could help them make a final four run.

The Spartans had quite the scare on selection Sunday. They came into the weekend as a bubble team and their loss to Maryland didn’t help their chances of getting in. Michigan State was part of the “last four in” group and will have to play Thursday in the “first four” as an #11 seed against UCLA. Should the Spartans win that game, they will play #6 BYU Saturday. This was not the expected draw for Michigan State as many experts thought their 3-wins against top-5 teams would be get them into the field, but the committee was not convinced. The committee did not do the Spartans any favors by putting them into the East region. should they surpass UCLA and BYU, they will have to play top seeds like Texas, Alabama, and Michigan. This season has been anything but easy for MSU, and their road to the final four will be just as difficult.

It’s another year where Michigan and Michigan State are in the tournament, but this time they’re in the same region. Both teams are capable of making runs and there’s a chance we could see the rivals play in the Elite 8, and play for a spot in the final four.