Bodog Beat

Do you have your money on Michigan State? (AP Images)

After winning the Northeast Conference tournament, the Robert Morris Colonials are in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1992.

The 15th seed in the Midwest Region will play the Michigan State Spartans in the first round tonight at the Metrodome.

The Spartans are the beasts of the Big Ten and have a long history of success in the NCAA tournament. But this season has been inconsistent. They have beaten Oklahoma State, Texas and Kansas in convincing fashion, yet lost at home to Northwestern, Penn State and been blown out on the road by Maryland and Purdue. That doesn’t include a 35-point loss to North Carolina at Ford Field in Detroit.

The 17-point underdog Colonials not only have to compete with a powerful team on the court, but they will also be playing in the cavernous Metrodome in front of a crowd more than 10 times the capacity they are used to.