Bruce Pearl: Don't call Michigan State an underdog, they've been here for years

ATLANTA - You can call Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans a lot of things, but Auburn coach Bruce Pearl says you can’t call them an underdog.  “I’m not going to let Michigan State play the underdog card even though we're No. 1 seed and they're No. 2 seed,” Pearl said. “No, they're Michigan State. They're Kansas, they're Duke, they're North Carolina, and we're Auburn. We know our place. Most of our guys are guys that were mid-majors or junior college or Division II. We know what we're trying to go up against, and we know the uphill battle that it is when you play against a Hall of Fame coach and obviously a legendary program.” Auburn is also 31-5 and the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament. Michigan State is 30-6. FanDuel has Michigan State as a five and a half point underdog. “Listen, Michigan State was 17-3 in the Big Ten,” Pearl said. (More inside).