College Basketball

What To Know: UCLA to face Michigan State in storied First Four game

Updated Mar. 18, 2021 8:02 p.m. ET

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Two of the college game's most storied programs are set to go head-to-head in the First Four.

The highly anticipated matchup between UCLA and Michigan State will take place on Thursday in Mackey Arena at 9:57 p.m. ET, as the 11-seeds will fight for a place in the first round of the NCAA tournament, which begins on Friday.

Both the Bruins and Spartans have an extended history with March Madness, setting the tone for a legendary contest that the college basketball world is looking forward to in a real way.

Let’s take a look at what makes the matchup between Mick Cronin's Bruins and Tom Izzo's Spartans so special.

The History

UCLA basketball has become synonymous with the "Wizard of Westwood," John Wooden, and the program has secured 11 national championships (the most in NCAA history), 10 of which were under Wooden's watch.

Contributors to the Bruins’ championships include the NBA's all-time leading scorer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Walton, and other products of the program include Reggie Miller, Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook.

The Bruins have 101 tournament wins, which ranks them fifth in NCAA Tournament history, and they are third all-time with a 71.6 winning percentage in the "Big Dance."

However, UCLA hasn't found much success in recent decades.

Its last title was in 1995, and its last tournament appearance was in 2018, when the Bruins lost to St. Bonaventure in the First Four game, 65-58.

The program set to face UCLA on Thursday is most famous for producing Abdul-Jabbar's "Showtime" Lakers running mate Magic Johnson.

Michigan State has won two NCAA Tournament titles and has 69 tournament wins, sixth in college hoops history. The Spartans' 68.3 winning percentage is eighth all-time.

The last time MSU made an appearance in the tournament was in 2019, when it lost to Texas Tech in the Final Four.

As for this year, 11 is the lowest-ever seed for Michigan State in the tournament and Thursday will represent only the second time the Spartans and Bruins have met in the NCAA Tournament.

The last meeting favored the Bruins, as they beat MSU, 78-76, in the first round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

The 2020-21 Season

This year, the Bruins enter the tournament reeling, having lost their last four games and finishing the regular season with a 17-9 record, good enough for fourth in the Pac-12.

The Spartans, on the other hand, spent part of the season battling COVID-19 within their program, seeing four games either canceled or postponed. They wrapped up the year with a 15-12 record, which was eighth in the Big Ten.

However, Michigan State went 6-5 against ranked opponents this season, earning wins over tournament 1-seeds Michigan and Illinois, and over tournament 2-seed Ohio State.

UCLA went 0-1 against ranked opponents this season, losing to Ohio State. 

The Coaches

Despite the Spartans being part of the First Four, meaning they have to win a game to qualify for the field of 64, head coach Tom Izzo is just happy that the season is still rolling – but he did say that it's slightly disrespectful to the Big Ten.

"The facts are that we played in the best conference in the country. I’m not going to be upset about a play-in game. I think our conference and league office should be because I think it doesn’t serve what this conference did this year as well."

Izzo has appeared in 23 straight NCAA Tournaments and has the fourth most tournament wins among active coaches (52).

With a 17-5 record in the first round of the tournament, Izzo has never played in the First Four before.

The legendary Spartans leading man has 14 Sweet Sixteen appearances, ten Elite Eight appearances, eight Final Four appearances and a national championship to his name.

This week, Izzo has displayed nothing but praise for his UCLA counterpart Mick Cronin and the style of play he has brought to the Bruins in his first two years in Westwood.

"We get a chance to play a team that is very well-coached. [Cronin] was at Cincinnati for years and did such a great job there. He’s brought a physical nature to the West Coast, which normally isn’t the case, so I know they’re going to be very well-coached."

Cronin made his way to UCLA in 2019 after coaching at the University of Cincinnati for 13 years.

Cronin-led teams have made 10 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, and he and Izzo are two of five active college coaches who have made the tournament in 10 consecutive years, alongside North Carolina's Roy Williams, Kansas' Bill Self and Gonzaga's Mark Few.

Not taking the competition lightly, Cronin said he's evaluated the MSU team and came up with three things to watch out for against Izzo’s Spartans.

"When you play Michigan State, you have to be worried about three things: You have to be worried about their rebounding, you have to be worried about how hard they play and be ready for the intensity and the physicality, and then, transition defense."

UCLA vs. MSU is the last game scheduled for the First Four round on Thursday.

The first three games to be played are as follows: Mount Saint Mary’s vs. Texas Southern (5:10 p.m. ET), Wichita State vs. Drake (6:27 p.m. ET) and Norfolk State vs. Appalachian State (8:40 p.m. ET).

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