Big Ten Basketball: Each team’s worst performance of the last decade
By Joey Loose
Michigan State
March 18, 2016 (Middle Tennessee 90, Michigan State 81) (GS: 32)
There are a lot of great college basketball programs, but it’s still a bit of a surprise that Michigan State hasn’t won a title since their run in 2000. They’ve made Final Fours since then but have fallen short of bringing home glory, though Tom Izzo always has his team in a position to contend for a title. The Spartans are very familiar with deep runs, with great Tournament performances, and with being one of the premier teams in the Big Ten.
But we can all remember that one time where they fell much farther short than anyone anticipated. A Final Four team in 2015, the Spartans entered 2016 with high expectations, a definite title favorite in Denzel Valentine’s senior season. Aside from a few hiccups, they breezed through the season at 29-5, winning the Big Ten Tournament and landing as a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The 15-seed was Middle Tennessee and they quickly let Michigan State know that they were not to be taken lightly. The Blue Raiders led this game 15-2 before the first media timeout and the Spartans knew they had a serious fight on their hands. The two teams both shot 55% (Middle Tennessee was better from the 3) and this was by no means a blowout, but Michigan State never led. On a bad shooting day for Denzel Valentine, Matt Costello led the Spartans with 22 points and 9 rebounds. All five Middle Tennessee starters were in double digits, led by Reggie Upshaw Jr.’s 21.
This was easily one of the worst losses in Michigan State’s history, especially considering this team definitely could have won the title. But this day belonged to Middle Tennessee and the Spartan’s title drought was extended another year. While this team has lost in the second round the last two years, it’s still a great program with an exciting future ahead. Time will tell if Tom Izzo can win another title but he’s always going to have the Spartans in good shape.