Why Michigan State basketball can make March Madness run to Final Four

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From unranked, with a washed-up leader, to a chic pick to get to the Final Four led by a national Coach of the Year semifinalist.

Funny how quickly things can change.

It has been a wild five months for Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball. The Big Ten regular-season champion Spartans (27-6) are playing at a level they haven’t reached since the cancellation of the NCAA tournament in 2020 —13 consecutive wins at one point this season, and then eight straight before finally losing to Wisconsin on Saturday.

Now comes the hard part.

MSU is the 2-seed in the NCAA tournament’s South region, opening Friday (10 p.m., TBS) in Cleveland against 15-seed Bryant. Entering his record 27th straight NCAA tournament, Izzo is looking to get to a ninth career Final Four — and the Spartans’ first since 2019. The 70-year-old has made it with a 7-seed and fizzled with a 2-seed, and the Hall of Fame coach has said the path to get there requires focused preparation, precision play and sometimes a little luck, both on the court and in the bracket around a team.

To get to Atlanta for the NCAA’s second weekend, and then San Antonio in April, MSU needs to show the resolve it has all season and find an extra gear to reach the potential Izzo believes the Spartans have. The goal: To reach a ceiling they hope will result in his second national title.

Strength in numbers

That has been a rallying cry all season for MSU, with Izzo deploying a 10-man rotation and shifting minutes based on the most favorable matchups.

This is the time of year when the ability to mix and match against opponents is critical. The Spartans mostly have been able to wear down opponents a variety of ways.

Sometimes it means running in transition with fresh legs, with Coen Carr and Izzo’s guards operating at a high pace for high-flying on the break. Sometimes, it’s rotating Jaxon Kohler, Szymon Zapala and Carson Cooper in the halfcourt to neutralize opposing big men. Sometimes, it has been a critical outside shot from Xavier…

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Source link : https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/michigan-state/spartans/2025/03/17/michigan-state-basketball-ncaa-tournament-march-madness-final-four-tom-izzo/82481850007/

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Publish date : 2025-03-17 10:09:00

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