Top-seeded Kansas to face No. 9 seed Michigan State in 2nd round Sunday

By Matt Tait     Mar 17, 2017

Nick Krug
Michigan State guard Miles Bridges (22) defends against a shot from Miami guard Davon Reed (5) during the second half on Friday, March 17, 2017 at BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

? After advancing to Sunday’s second round, the Jayhawks (29-4) were able to sit back and watch the final game of the day at BOK Center while waiting to see who they would play.

For the second year in a row, the Jayhawks’ second-round foe will be a team that has reached a Final Four more recently than Kansas, as No. 9 seed Michigan State knocked off No. 8 Miami, 78-58, in Friday’s final game at BOK Center. Last season, KU knocked off UConn in the second round in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Jayhawks will face Michigan State at 4:15 p.m. Sunday for a spot in the Sweet 16.

The Spartans, whom Jackson grew up rooting for as a child in Detroit, overcame a slow start and early 17-5 hole to roar to victory. MSU (20-14) led by 11 at halftime and used efficient offense and tough defense to run away from the Hurricanes.

For Jackson, the opportunity to play Michigan State goes well beyond facing a childhood favorite. Jackson has a few friends on this MSU roster and he’s looking forward to facing them.

“Being able to play against those guys would be fun,” said Jackson, who listed MSU’s Miles Bridges, Nick Ward and Cassius Winston among his friends-turned-foes. “I don’t really think I have much at stake against Michigan State. Every game I come out and play I’m gonna give it my all and try to play my best.”

Kansas is 1-1 all-time against Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament, with both prior meetings coming in the Sweet 16 (96-86, overtime win in Kansas City, Mo., in 1986 and a 67-62 loss in 2009 in Indianapolis) and 5-7 all-time against the Spartans overall. Self and Michigan State coach Tom Izzo have faced off a dozen times, with Izzo owning a 7-5 edge, including a 4-2 mark against Self at Kansas.

— See what people were saying about the game during KUsports.com’s live coverage.


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Written By Matt Tait

A native of Colorado, Matt moved to Lawrence in 1988 and has been in town ever since. He graduated from Lawrence High in 1996 and the University of Kansas in 2000 with a degree in Journalism. After covering KU sports for the University Daily Kansan and Rivals.com, Matt joined the World Company (and later Ogden Publications) in 2001 and has held several positions with the paper and KUsports.com in the past 20+ years. He became the Journal-World Sports Editor in 2018. Throughout his career, Matt has won several local and national awards from both the Associated Press Sports Editors and the Kansas Press Association. In 2021, he was named the Kansas Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. Matt lives in Lawrence with his wife, Allison, and two daughters, Kate and Molly. When he's not covering KU sports, he likes to spend his time playing basketball and golf, listening to and writing music and traveling the world with friends and family.