MSU hockey receives No. 1 seed in recent NCAA Tournament bracketology post
College Puck NXT has released its latest update of the 2025-26 bracketology for the upcoming college hockey season. Michigan State is once again expected to be the in mix, with the Spartans landing as a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament bracket projection.
Michigan State is the No. 1 seed in the Sioux Falls, S.D. region and paired up with Sacred Heart in the first round. UConn and North Dakota are the other two teams projected to be in the Spartans region.
Michigan State was a No. 1 seed in this past year's NCAA Tournament but were upset by Cornell in the first round. The Spartans were also a No. 1 seed in the 2024 NCAA Tournament but were bounced in the second round by rival Michigan.
Check out the complete NCAA Tournament bracket projection from College Puck NXT below:
Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
What to know about Michigan State heading into 2025
Jonathan Smith struggled in his first year as head coach at Michigan State, a program looking to return to national prominence after the failed Mel Tucker experiment. The Spartans have quietly been rebuilding their roster back up with a healthy infusion of transfer portal pickups and some returning talent. Michigan State hasn't earned much buzz from a national level, and the group is embracing the underdog role, which Smith thrived in at Oregon State. Here's a look at the Spartans as the 2025 season draws closer. Advertisement 2024 in review Michigan State's Nathan Carter, center, and the team take the field before the football game against Purdue on Friday, Nov. 22, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Michigan State struggled to take care of the ball last season and quarterback Aidan Chiles failed to live up to expectations after following Smith from Corvallis to East Lansing. The Spartans finished just 5-7 and failed to make a bowl game for the third consecutive season, leaving fans hungry for improvement. The offensive line struggled again, as it has for several years, but there's hope it'll take a step forward this fall. Nick Marsh was the team's leading receiver as a true freshman, and he'll have more help around him after some transfer additions. The signs are pointing toward a significantly improved offense in 2025 and a return to a bowl game. Head coach profile Michigan State's head coach Jonathan Smith looks on from the sideline during the third quarter in the game against Rutgers on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Smith was considered a big hire after the success he achieved with Oregon State, a program with fewer resources and worse facilities, but the move hasn't paid off yet. His six-year stint with the Beavers marked his first head coaching experience, and after going 2-10 in 2018, he led the team to steady improvement. Oregon State improved to 5-7 in 2019, took a slight step back during the COVID-19 season and then went 7-6 in 2021 with the team's first bowl appearance since 2013. The team peaked at 10-3 in 2022, followed by an 8-5 campaign before he left for Michigan State. His experience rebuilding a program from the basement of a conference should come in handy with the Spartans. Advertisement Top offensive player Nov 30, 2024; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Nick Marsh (6) is upside-down after catching a first quarter pass against Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Al-Shadee Salaam (21) at Spartan Stadium. Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Shaquan Loyal (6) is in pursuit. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images Marsh was a highly coveted 4-star recruit who earned praise for his elite track speed. The Spartans are rumored to have dropped a large NIL bag to land Marsh, and the investment paid off with 41 receptions, 649 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman. With an improved offensive line and more targets to take the pressure off, he should see elevated success this season, potentially eclipsing 1,000 yards. Top defensive players Michigan State's Nikai Martinez, right, tackles Rutgers' Ja'shon Benjamin during the fourth quarter on Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. Michigan State struggled defensively last season but one of the bright spots was safety Nikai Martinez, who transferred in from UCF and had a seamless transition to Big Ten play. Martinez amassed 51 tackles and two interceptions last season, including at least three tackles in every game. Entering his senior season, Martinez is viewed as one of the veteran leaders of the unit. Advertisement 2025 schedule Aug. 29 (Fri.) vs. Western Michigan Sept. 6 vs. Boston College Sept. 13 vs. Youngstown State Sept. 20 at USC Oct. 4 at Nebraska Oct. 11 vs. UCLA Oct. 18 at Indiana Oct. 25 vs. Michigan Nov. 1 at Minnesota Nov. 15 vs Penn State Nov. 22 at Iowa Nov. 29 vs. Maryland The battle for the Land-Grant Trophy returns, with Michigan State hosting Penn State after the two took a gap year in 2024. The two have a surprisingly even history, with the Nittany Lions leading the Spartans 19-18-1 in the all-time series, including winning the last two. This year's matchup will pit an improved Michigan State offense against one of the top defenses in the country, although it's unlikely the Spartans' defense will be able to match up against Penn State's rushing attack when the two clash in mid-November. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: What to know about Michigan State
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
What to know about Michigan State heading into 2025
Jonathan Smith struggled in his first year as head coach at Michigan State, a program looking to return to national prominence after the failed Mel Tucker experiment. The Spartans have quietly been rebuilding their roster back up with a healthy infusion of transfer portal pickups and some returning talent. Michigan State hasn't earned much buzz from a national level, and the group is embracing the underdog role, which Smith thrived in at Oregon State. Here's a look at the Spartans as the 2025 season draws closer. 2024 in review Michigan State struggled to take care of the ball last season and quarterback Aidan Chiles failed to live up to expectations after following Smith from Corvallis to East Lansing. The Spartans finished just 5-7 and failed to make a bowl game for the third consecutive season, leaving fans hungry for improvement. The offensive line struggled again, as it has for several years, but there's hope it'll take a step forward this fall. Nick Marsh was the team's leading receiver as a true freshman, and he'll have more help around him after some transfer additions. The signs are pointing toward a significantly improved offense in 2025 and a return to a bowl game. Head coach profile Smith was considered a big hire after the success he achieved with Oregon State, a program with fewer resources and worse facilities, but the move hasn't paid off yet. His six-year stint with the Beavers marked his first head coaching experience, and after going 2-10 in 2018, he led the team to steady improvement. Oregon State improved to 5-7 in 2019, took a slight step back during the COVID-19 season and then went 7-6 in 2021 with the team's first bowl appearance since 2013. The team peaked at 10-3 in 2022, followed by an 8-5 campaign before he left for Michigan State. His experience rebuilding a program from the basement of a conference should come in handy with the Spartans. Top offensive player Marsh was a highly coveted 4-star recruit who earned praise for his elite track speed. The Spartans are rumored to have dropped a large NIL bag to land Marsh, and the investment paid off with 41 receptions, 649 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman. With an improved offensive line and more targets to take the pressure off, he should see elevated success this season, potentially eclipsing 1,000 yards. Top defensive players Michigan State struggled defensively last season but one of the bright spots was safety Nikai Martinez, who transferred in from UCF and had a seamless transition to Big Ten play. Martinez amassed 51 tackles and two interceptions last season, including at least three tackles in every game. Entering his senior season, Martinez is viewed as one of the veteran leaders of the unit. 2025 schedule The battle for the Land-Grant Trophy returns, with Michigan State hosting Penn State after the two took a gap year in 2024. The two have a surprisingly even history, with the Nittany Lions leading the Spartans 19-18-1 in the all-time series, including winning the last two. This year's matchup will pit an improved Michigan State offense against one of the top defenses in the country, although it's unlikely the Spartans' defense will be able to match up against Penn State's rushing attack when the two clash in mid-November. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Five most important games on Michigan State football's schedule in 2025
See which five games are ranked as the most important for Michigan State football in 2025 If you had to pick one or two games Michigan State football must win this season, which ones would you choose? Well, I've came up with five. Michigan State will be kicking off the 2025 season in late August so we are less than two months away from Spartans football returning to our lives. Some may say that isn't necessarily a great thing, but all jokes aside, this is a massive year for Michigan State and the future of the program. In preparing for the upcoming season, I have taken a look over the schedule and pegged the top five games I believe are critical for the Spartans to experience success on the field. Each of these games have implications for this specific season and getting back to a bowl game for the first time since 2021, and also for the overall future of the program under head coach Jonathan Smith. So with all of that being said, let's check out my ranking of the five most important games on the Spartans' 2025 schedule, and significance they would mean for Michigan State to come out on top. No. 5 - Penn State When: November 15 Where: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. Reasoning: The first one on my list is probably the game Michigan State is least likely to win on the entire schedule, but it's included for one reason: this is a measuring stick game. If things go as expected, Penn State will come to Spartan Stadium in the midst of a Big Ten title chase and looking to lockup a spot in the College Football Playoff. With this being a home matchup, the expectation from fans should be that Michigan State is at least in the game in the second half and not getting their doors blown off by the Nittany Lions like we saw two years ago. I'm not going to say Michigan State should win this game but it should be close and certainly carries a ton of importance in the national realm of where the Spartans' program sits as we near the end of year two under Smith. No. 4 - Iowa When: November 22 Where: Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa Reasoning: Where this game falls on the schedule is the main reason for why I'm including this tough road game at Iowa. The Spartans head to Kinnick Stadium in late November off a tough stretch of games that includes at Indiana, Michigan, at Minnesota and Penn State. There's a chance Michigan State loses all four of those games (not what I'm predicting but certainly a chance) and in need of a win over the Hawkeyes to stop the bleeding and remain alive to reach the bowl season. Michigan State plays a very winnable game against Maryland in the season finale so if they can steal this one at Iowa ahead of that, then I would confidently say the Spartans are going bowling assuming they've already picked up at least four wins up to that point. No. 3 - UCLA When: October 11 Where: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. Reasoning: Michigan State comes into this game after a pair of tough road games to open Big Ten play at USC and Nebraska. So that, combined with a tough-ish home non-conference game against Boston College before those, and we could be looking at Michigan State ts anywhere from 2-3 to 5-0 when UCLA comes to Spartan Stadium. My guess is Michigan State will be either 3-2 or 4-1 at this point, meaning a win over the Bruins would go a long way in reaching bowl eligibility or even push the Spartans into the top 25 at the midway mark of the season. This game will have a ton of significance for where Michigan State ends up in 2025. No. 2 - Boston College When: September 6 Where: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. Reasoning: To me, this is a game that will be extremely telling for the 2025 season and potentially the entire Smith tenure at Michigan State. At home under the lights of Spartan Stadium in a week two matchup vs. Boston College will result in plenty of juice from the fanbase, and is simply a must-win for Michigan State this year. If the Spartans win this game, they'll almost certainly be 3-0 when they head out west to USC in late September to open Big Ten play -- which makes that a very intriguing game on the national level. If they lose to Boston College, the wheels could come off very quickly and Michigan State could find themselves below .500 and out of bowl contention before we hit the halfway point of the season. This feels like a massive swing game in a critical season for the program. No. 1 - Michigan When: October 25 Where: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. Reasoning: It's pretty simple why this game is at the top of the list, but even more than the rivalry itself, the result of this year's matchup against the Wolverines will carry ramifications beyond just 2025. It felt like Michigan State let one go in last year's game at Michigan Stadium, and would have put the rebuild so much farther ahead had they held on against the Wolverines. Now, Michigan State is looking at another great opportunity to beat the Wolverines with an anticipated true freshman starting at quarterback in Bryce Underwood. If Michigan State can't beat the five-star quarterback this year as a true freshman, then I'm not sure when will be the next time they do beat their in-state rivals. It's already been three years since Kenneth Walker III carried Michigan State to the win over Michigan, and if they don't get them this year, then it may be another three more years before Paul Bunyan returns to East Lansing, Mich. Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Robert Bondy on X @RobertBondy5.
