Michigan State is dancing for a 26th-straight March as the Spartans earned a No. 9 seed in the West region. MSU will face No. 8 seed Mississippi State in Charlotte, North Carolina on Thursday at 12:15 p.m. Eastern Time.

The matchup marks the fourth meeting all-time between the two Power-Six MSUs. Michigan State defeated Mississippi State on Jan. 2, 1973 in the most recent meeting. The Spartans downed the Bulldogs 90-82 in a neutral matchup in Mobile, Alabama. Michigan State also won matchups in 1934 and 1948.

As for the 26th-straight trip, MSU holds the lead for the longest active NCAA Tournament streak, just ahead of Gonzaga's 25-straight visits. The two programs are the only with a double-digit streak.

The Bulldogs of Mississippi State will be in their second-straight NCAA tournament, exiting in a four four matchup against No. 11 Pittsburgh last season. It will mark the fourth NCAA Tournament since Miss. St. advanced out of its first game since falling to No. 1 seed Memphis in the second round in 2008 as the No. 8 seed. It also marks the highest seed for the Bulldogs since that tournament.

As for the Spartans, it marks the third time head coach Tom Izzo's team has earned a nine seed and the first time since 2017. MSU fell to No. 1 seed Kansas in the Round of 32 in the 2017 tournament and to No. 1 seed North Carolina in the second round in the 2007 tournament.

The winner of Thursday's matchup will face the winner of No. 1 North Carolina versus No. 16 Howard/Wagner on Saturday.

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