A quick look at Michigan State-Miami in the NCAA Tournament

By AP
Published

TULSA, Okla. (AP) No. 8 seed Miami (21-11) vs. No. 9 seed Michigan State (19-14)

First Round, Midwest Region; Tulsa, Okla.; 9:20 p.m. EDT.

BOTTOM LINE: Michigan State is making its 20th straight NCAA Tournament appearance one year after losing in the first round as No. 2 seed. The Spartans hope to make amends for last season's disappointment against a Miami team that has won at least one tournament game in its last three appearances.

SWEET HURRICANE: Miami has reached the NCAA Tournament twice previously in its first six seasons under coach Jim Larranaga, both times reaching the Sweet 16. Larranaga has seven NCAA appearances to his credit, including reaching the Final Four with George Mason in 2006.

DID YOU KNOW: Michigan State coach Tom Izzo has experienced plenty of postseason success in his 22 seasons with the Spartans. Izzo enters this postseason with a 46-18 record in the NCAA Tournament, the fifth-highest active winning percentage - behind only Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, Louisville's Rick Pitino, North Carolina's Roy Williams and Kentucky's John Calipari.

--

For more AP college basketball coverage: http://collegebasketball.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-Top25