March Madness: Previewing Sunday’s Round of 32 Matchups
Michigan State (9) vs. Kansas (1)
Tom Izzo versus Bill Self is exactly the type of coaching matchup we love to see. Both coaches have great programs, and we get to see them face off Sunday evening.
The Michigan State Spartans will take on the Kansas Jayhawks in a 9-1 matchup. Even after a convincing win over Miami, our metrics don't give Michigan State the greatest probability to advance to the Sweet 16. Kansas just has too much on both ends of the floor to expect anything else.
Below are three players to keep an eye on from each team.
| Player | Team | PPG | RPG | eFG% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank Mason | Kansas | 20.8 | 4.1 | 0.572 |
| Josh Jackson | Kansas | 16.4 | 7.2 | 0.549 |
| Devonte' Graham | Kansas | 13.1 | 3.3 | 0.547 |
| Miles Bridges | Michigan St. | 16.7 | 8.3 | 0.558 |
| Nick Ward | Michigan St. | 13.7 | 6.5 | 0.583 |
| Cassius Winston | Michigan St. | 6.7 | 1.9 | 0.494 |
Here is a quick breakdown of the team stats comparison.
| Team | nERD | O Rtg | eFG% | Reb% | TOV% | D Rtg | Opp. eFG% | Opp. TOV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 Kansas | 18.34 | 114.4 | 0.559 | 52.8 | 15.7 | 100.1 | 0.479 | 16.1 |
| #9 Michigan St. | 10.23 | 104.8 | 0.539 | 52.6 | 18.3 | 99.9 | 0.463 | 14.1 |
