Michigan State Basketball: Evaluating Spartans heading into 2021 NCAA Tournament

Michigan State basketball is one of the few surprises to be put in one of the first four games of the NCAA Tournament. What do you need to know about the Spartans before finishing your bracket?

Maybe you are a casual fan filling out your NCAA Tournament bracket because all of your co-workers are participating in the office pool contest or you are someone who truly believes the Spartans can win their first three games and have bragging rights over their friends, predicting how far the Spartans will go in the tournament could end be the difference before first and second place. Here are some information, interesting facts, and helpful notes on this year’s Michigan State basketball team.

Everyone will hear from television, social media, and college basketball broadcasters that the Spartans have defeated three top seven ranked teams this season, that Joshua Langford has played in his first full season of play in three years, and that Tom Izzo’s nickname is Mr. March.

Also, looking back to preseason expectations, the Spartans have not lived up to the preseason hype. Here, though, are some things that you may or may not care to know about the Spartans that you may not already know.

Fun and Somewhat Useless Information

Juniors Marcus Bingham Jr. and Gabe Brown like to dance and celebrate on the bench.
Former NBA Coach and current Nebraska Fred Hoiberg’s son Jack was a walk-on as freshmen and now is on scholarship for the Spartans this season.
Sparty is a very famous mascot
Tom Izzo is from Iron Mountain Michigan in the Upper Peninsula
Magic Johnson can be seen in the stands cheering on the Spartans
NBA World Champion Draymond Green loves talking about the Spartans on social media.

Highlights from their Season

Michigan State was 2-0 against ACC teams this season defeating Notre Dame at home and Duke on the road.
The Spartans are 5-1 against teams from the state of Michigan this season.
The Spartans swept Indiana and Nebraska by defeating each one of them both times they played.
Prior to this season, Michigan State had won a share of the Big Ten Regular Season Title making them back-to-back champions, as they were outright Big Ten regular-season conference champions in 2018.
The Spartans defeated currently ranked No. 2 Illinois, No. 4 Michigan, and No. 7 Ohio State this year.

NCAA Tournament Facts about Michigan State

Under Tom Izzo, Michigan State has been to 23 straight NCAA Tournaments, 14 Sweet Sixteen, 10 Elite Eights, and eight Final Fours.
The Spartans have four wins against teams who are in the NCAA Tournament.
Michigan State is the last Big Ten team to win a national championship back in 2000.
The Spartan’s last NCAA appearance resulted in a Final Four run. Prior to the pandemic canceling last year’s NCAA Tournament, Michigan State was projected to be a top seed in that tournament.