Michigan State basketball ditches ego in hunt for Detroit Final Four

EAST LANSING – Tom Izzo spent Wednesday, Oct. 14, in Detroit, reminiscing about his Michigan State basketball squad’s run to the last Final Four there, in 2009, and dreaming about getting back there again in April.

A day later and 88 miles to the northwest, the Hall of Fame coach sought to remind his players – and MSU fans – that the ultimate goal remains off in the distance. To make that journey down I-96 and back to what would be his ninth Final Four, Izzo knows the Spartans have the talent.

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But he also preached about what else it will take over the next five-plus months to be the ones cutting down final nets, starting with two final exhibition games in the next two weeks against power programs: Connecticut at home on Tuesday (7 p.m., B1G+) and Marquette on the road on Oct. 25.

Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo speaks during media day on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.

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“My biggest concern right now is not who we are – even though that’s a big concern – but who the other teams are,” Izzo said during his team’s media day Thursday. “I think that’s been the hardest thing, to try and figure out where you are compared to who you gotta play. And that’s always important as far as expectations getting too out of control – which they will get out of control, because we have one of the teams that’s a good team.

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“And we all know the Final Four is in Detroit. And yet that has nothing to do with anything in the big picture.”

For MSU to get there, back to the Final Four for the first time since 2019, Izzo will rely on one of his deepest and most versatile rosters, led by returning All-American and preseason Big Ten and national player of the year Jeremy Fears Jr. at point guard. That’s generally enough to propel a team into into the top 5-10 picks in preseason polls – a good start. It’s what the…

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Publish date : 2026-10-15 23:25:00

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