In a classic matchup, the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes will take on the No. 9 Michigan State Spartans in Midwest Region action on Friday night.
The matchup between the Michigan State Spartans and Miami Hurricanes should be a good one on Friday night, as is usually the case with these 8-vs-9 contests. The Spartans are having a done year, after entering the 2016 NCAA Tournament as the odds on favorite to win it all. Michigan State lost in the first round in that tourney, and the same could very well happen again in 2017.
Michigan State is led by a true star in Miles Bridges, who has been one of the better players in the country as a freshman this season. Bridges averaged nearly 17 points per game for the Spartans, while pulling down over eight rebounds per game. The Spartans are young, as Bridges is one of three freshman in the starting lineup, so this game will definitely be a learning experience for the group.
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The Miami Hurricanes are the opposite of the Spartans, as they have only one freshman in their starting lineup. Their leader is Davon Reed, a 6-foot-6 guard who can really do it all on both sides of the floor. Reed leads the team with 15.3 points per game, and Miami has shown this year they can beat good teams. During the regular season, Miami beat UNC, Duke, and Virginia, which led to them getting an at-large bid in the Big Dance.
Here is how to watch all of the action online.
Date: Friday, March 17
Time: 9:20 p.m. ET
Location: Tulsa, OK
Venue: Bank of Oklahoma Center
TV Info: TNT
Live Stream: March Madness Live
This game will feature two coaches with a winning history in this tournament. Most know Miami coach Jim Larranaga from his magical run with George Mason, who beat a much better Michigan State team on their way to the Final Four. Tom Izzo will have his kids ready to play, but this team just may not be good enough to advance in this one.