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Local Sports Guru Gives 'Braketology' Advice

SALINE (WWJ) - It's a college basketball fan's favorite time of year: March Madness. And a lot of college basketball fans want to hear what Pete Tiernan of Saline has to say about "braketology."

Tiernan, who has crunched the numbers from nearly a quarter-century of NCAA tournaments, said elite teams almost always have an All-American player and a coach with Final Four mettle -- something that could bode well for Michigan State.

"I've run 10 different statistical models so far and Michigan State has come out in two of them as the champion and you've got Kentucky coming out on top in three of them and Kansas in three," he said.

Tiernan said he likes almost everything about the Spartans this year.

"The only problem that Michigan State has from a statistical point of view is that they're very low scoring. There has been, I think, only one other team that scored less that 73 points a game and became the champion," he said.

He also puts MSU's Tom Izzo and Michigan's John Beilein among the top coaches who do better than expected each postseason.

As for the University of Detroit-Mercy, Tiernan said based on the numbers, they're one of the better 15-seeds he's seen.

Get more information and tips for mastering your bracket at www.bracketscience.com.

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