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How Much Do Michiganders Care About March Madness?

Author Anne Erickson
EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 21: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans during a post game interview after a 80 - 65 win over the Indiana Hoosiers at Breslin Center on February 21, 2023 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)

I love March Madness. Even though I’m a football girl, I do enjoy basketball, especially when March Madness approaches. Being a MSU graduate, it’s easy to get sucked into the excitement of March Madness every season.

So, how much do Michiganders love March Madness? A new study from BetMichigan.com discovers just how much we enjoy watching the madness unfold.

“As March approaches, it is time to begin preparation for one the biggest Michigan sports betting events of the year,” they state. With the start of the NCAA Basketball Tournament just a few weeks away, BetMichigan.com looked at search trends for terms such as “March Madness,” “College Basketball” and “NCAA Tournament” over the past 30 days. Then, they determined the states with the most interest in the upcoming postseason.

Michigan ranked No. 12 on the list. “As it stands, the Great Lakes State appears to be in for an unusually quiet NCAA Tournament, which likely led to the state coming in at No. 12 on our matrix,” they explain. “Safe to say we’d still expect heavy action on Michigan betting apps though. Of the seven D1 programs in the state, Michigan State currently projects as the only one to make the field of 68 and they are only expected to receive an 8-seed according to the consensus of 108 bracketologists at Bracketmatrix.com.”

They add that a weaker Spartans team has a lot to do with the disinterest, stating, “While the Spartans should have little issue reaching their 25th consecutive tournament given they have more Quad 1 wins (six) than all but nine other teams, at 16-10 overall this is far from Tom Izzo’s finest team. Malik Hall’s injury woes are partially to blame, but things have simply not clicked offensively as expected for them. At 75th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency per KenPom.com, this season’s edition of the Spartans ranks lower in that category than all but one other Izzo coached team since data is available (back to 1996-97, his second season as head coach).” Find the full study here.

Anne Erickson started her radio career shortly after graduating from Michigan State University and has worked on-air in Detroit, Flint, Toledo, Lansing and beyond. As someone who absolutely loves rock, metal and alt music, she instantly fell in love with radio and hasn’t looked back. When she’s not working, Anne makes her own music with her band, Upon Wings, and she also loves cheering on her favorite Detroit and Michigan sports teams, especially Lions and MSU football. Anne is also an award-winning journalist, and her byline has run in a variety of national publications. You can also hear her weekends on WRIF.
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