The team hosted a viewing party Monday at Breslin Center as the Spartans’ postseason future was announced, and head coach Suzy Merchant and players addressed fans afterward.

“We need to understand that it is one-and-done, so there is no tomorrow and we can’t really save anything,” senior forward Kalisha Keane said. “We do a good job of that, though, and just knowing the competitive edge you have to have every possession in the game.”

MSU qualified as a No. 9 seed in 2009 and drew a home spot for the first two games, which helped it to a first-round victory against Middle Tennessee and an improbable second-round upset of No. 1 seed Duke.

Last season, the fifth-seeded Spartans defeated Bowling Green in the first round in Louisville, Ky., only to fall to a fourth-seeded Kentucky team playing in its home state in the next round.

“It’s kind of nice to be on a neutral site where no one has their home crowd advantage that you get with the women’s game in tournaments,” Keane said. “That’ll be kind of a different experience. I’m happy about it.”

Senior forward Cetera Washington said she’s never been to Wichita, but the Spartans hope to make it a long stay when they begin the tournament Sunday.

Northern Iowa — champions of the Missouri Valley Conference — have won 19 straight games and enter with a record of 27-5 and beat Missouri State, 69-41, in the conference championship game.
Should the Spartans win, they would advance to face the winner of No. 5 Green Bay and No. 12 Arkansas-Little Rock in a Tuesday game.

Green Bay carries a record of 32-1, while Arkansas-Little Rock checks in at 23-7.

MSU has compiled a record of 8-1 in its last nine first-round games and are 14-10 overall in the NCAA Tournament.

However, if the Spartans advance past the first weekend, they potentially could face top-seeded Baylor in the Dallas regional semifinal, and the showdown would be in the Bears’ home state.

For now MSU (26-5) only is looking at the next game and relishing the neutral site in Kansas.

“We really didn’t get too in-depth in figuring out what we’re going to be and what we’re not going to be,” Merchant said.

“I’m not disappointed with where we’re at, and Wichita, Kansas, is a good spot for us, and it’s not someone else’s home floor.”

Merchant said she knows a little bit about Northern Iowa, but she and her staff would start preparing right away.

Stanford, Baylor, Connecticut and Tennessee wrapped up the four No. 1 seeds in the tournament, while the Big Ten regular-season champions MSU and Ohio State both earned No. 4 seeds to lead Big Ten teams.

The Spartans know they can draw on the experiences of last season’s run to the second round and the previous season’s push to the Sweet 16 to try and succeed in their highest seeding in the three consecutive years of making the tournament.

“Coach always preaches don’t let anyone else control our destiny,” Washington said.

“We just really wanted to be in control of where we were at this time.”