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Michigan State to face UCLA in NCAA Tournament First Four

Michigan State head coach Tom izzo and forward Aaron Henry react to the Spartans' First Four draw against UCLA in the NCAA Tournament.

By: Steve Megargee, AP Sports Writer

Posted at 5:36 AM, Mar 15, 2021

and last updated 2021-03-15 05:36:26-04

The NCAA Tournament's East Regional has a First Four matchup that looks more like a Final Four pairing based on the pedigrees of the programs.

Michigan State (15-12) faces UCLA (17-9) Thursday night, with BYU (20-6) awaiting the winner on Saturday.

UCLA forward Cody Riley called it “kind of like a revenge game” because Michigan State beat the Bruins 75-62 in last season’s Maui Invitational.

“When I saw it, I was like, ‘Man, that’s a heck of a play-in game,’ “ Riley said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”