Michigan State women’s basketball coach Robyn Fralick, in her third season as head coach, is leading the program to a third-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, but first things first, and that’s the Big Ten Tournament.
The 18th-ranked Spartans (22-7, 11-7 Big Ten) are the No. 7 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, earned a first-round bye, and will face the winner of Illinois-Wisconsin on Thursday (BTN, 6:30 p.m.) at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. UCLA, the nation’s No. 2 team, won the Big Ten regular season and is the No. 1 Tournament seed.
Fralick led Michigan State to a 22-9 record her first season, then 22-10 last season, so the consistency has been evident. Now, the Spartans want to make a significant postseason push.
They are led by senior forward Grace VanSlooten and redshirt sophomore guard Kennedy Blair, both this week named second-team All-Big Ten. During a season in which MSU has had to deal with injuries, VanSlooten and Blair are the only players who have started every game.
“The thing we talked about (Tuesday) was appreciation,” Fralick told reporters Tuesday. “Just having an overall appreciation for what we’ve been able to do together this season and what we get to continue to do. I shared with them, when you look back on this in 10 years, these will be some incredible memories. The magic is being able to enjoy it while it’s happening, being able to have a real appreciation right now for what we get to do.”
Fralick said she spoke to the players about what super power she’d give them, and it is to have relentless belief.
“When we get discouraged, we stop,” she said. “That doesn’t work. Really good teams don’t get discouraged.”
The Spartans finished the regular season 3-5 in the final eight games, including an 87-68 loss to Ohio State last Sunday to wrap up the regular season. But the players are not discouraged by their play as they head into the postseason.
“It doesn’t really concern me at all,” VanSlooten said. “We’ve been practicing a lot getting back to the basics in our offense. Moving the ball fast. Really good shot selection. All those little things.”
Fralick believes the Spartans can make a run in the Big Ten Tournament.
“Absolutely. I trust the body of work over the course of the season,” Fralick said. “We’ve had to adapt. We’ve had to be resilient. We’ve had different people in different lineups, different nights, and those are things I see really helping us moving into the postseason.”
And it isn’t only about trying to win the Big Ten Tournament title. Michigan State is clearly a lock for the NCAA Tournament but needs to have a strong showing to impress the Tournament committee to earn a top-16 seed. With that seeding comes an opportunity to host first- and second-round games.
Having the ability to have the first two rounds at the Breslin Center is an obvious advantage and enhances the chance to make the Sweet 16. Michigan State lost in the second round to host N.C. State last year, 83-49, so home court is everything in the women’s tournament.
“It’s huge,” Blair, a Dearborn Divine Child product, said of hosting. “This is what we play for every game. It’s something we thought about after last year’s loss. We know we have to win a couple games (in the Big Ten Tournament) to show the committee we’re a top-16 seed.”
And for Fralick, it will be more evidence of what she and the program have accomplished in three seasons at Michigan State.
“It would be a huge step in what we’ve been able to do over the three years here, the trajectory of where the program’s going,” Fralick said. “It’s a huge advantage. That’s something we’re fighting for.”
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: MSU women’s hoops unfazed by rough patch entering Big Ten tournament
Reporting by Angelique S. Chengelis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
