March Madness No. 2 seed Michigan State is on upset alert at halftime, trailing Middle Tennessee State in the First Round
Despite not getting a No. 1 seed for March Madness like many people thought they deserved, the Michigan State Spartans were looked at as one of the favorites to win a national championship this year as the tournament got underway. However, their First Round matchup against the No. 15 seed Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders proved to be much more difficult than expected in the first half.
Middle Tennessee came out firing from long range in the first half and hitting shots over the top of a reeling Michigan State defense. The Blue Raiders went 8-13 from deep in the first half and all five starters for Middle Tennessee finished the first 20 minutes with five points or more.
Moreover, Michigan State was missing contributions from key contributors such as senior guard Bryn Forbes, who finished the first half with no points on 0-2 shooting from the field. Sure, Denzel Valentine was predictably productive, but it takes more than just one star in March Madness against a hungry mid-major program.
Though we saw teams fall behind at halftime to lower seeds on Thursday in the First Round action, this one feels like it could go down to the wire for Michigan State. We’ll have to see if the Spartans can pull it together or if they’ll be the victims in the biggest upset of 2016 March Madness yet.
For all your March Madness needs, stay up to date with the FanSided hub.