Michigan State Women’s Basketball Unable To Host NCAA Tournament Games

Michigan State Athletic Director Mark Hollis said in a press release on Monday that the Michigan State Women's Basketball team will not be able to host games at the Breslin Center despite the team's 4-seed in the NCAA tournament.

The Top 16 seeds (seeds 1-4 in four regions) host the first and second round games in their particular pod before giving way to neutral sites, similar to the men's tournament, in the sweet 16 round.

“It’s disappointing that our women’s basketball team will be unable to host the first and second rounds of the 2016 NCAA Tournament. When MSU signed the agreement with the Michigan High School Athletic Association to host the Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments in February 2011, the NCAA Tournament format didn’t provide opportunities for the Top 16 seeds to host the opening rounds" Michigan State AD Mark Hollis said.

The Breslin Center is unavailable due to semifinal games to be played in Girls Class A and Class B for the MHSAA basketball tournament on the 18th. The finals in Class A-D are all played on the 19th effectively ruling out any possibility for Michigan State to host the first two rounds as first round games are scheduled for those two days.

The NCAA recently readopted higher seed hosting the first two rounds of play, with the revival of it coming in the 2015 edition. The tournament also used this method from it's inception in 1982 until 2002, neutral sites were the norm from 2003 to 2014.

Michigan State was selected as a 4-seed to play Belmont of the Ohio Valley Conference. The 5-12 seed matchup the Spartans drew next to themselves in the bracket features Mississippi State (5) and Chattanooga (12).

Because of the conflict, hosting privileges have shifted to the other MSU in the pod, Mississippi State. Michigan State, Mississippi State, Chattanooga, and Belmont will all travel to the city of Starkville, MS for their first and second round games.