Michigan State’s Final Four Hopes Aren’t Dead-They’re Just Getting Started
Michigan State’s shot at a program-record start vanished in a heartbreaker against No. 3 Michigan-a game where the Spartans clawed back from a 16-point halftime hole to briefly take the lead, only to run out of steam down the stretch.
It was a gutsy performance that, for a moment, had the feel of a statement win. And yet, in the span of one loss to a top-three team and a follow-up stumble on the road against a struggling Big Ten opponent, the national conversation has shifted dramatically.
Before that two-game skid, the Spartans were firmly in the national title discussion. Now? Some of the most prominent voices in college basketball are suddenly questioning whether this team can even reach the Final Four.
Andy Katz, a respected analyst in the college hoops world, recently weighed in on the Big Ten’s best bets for a Final Four run. His picks?
Michigan and Illinois. Notably absent: Michigan State.
That’s raised more than a few eyebrows-especially considering Michigan State just beat Illinois in a hard-fought overtime battle. Illinois, by the way, followed that loss with another at home to Wisconsin. So if Illinois is still considered a contender after back-to-back losses, how exactly does Michigan State get left out of the conversation after beating them?
It’s a head-scratcher, no doubt.
Let’s not forget: this is a Tom Izzo team. That alone should be enough to keep the Spartans in the mix.
We’ve seen this story before. Michigan State hits a mid-season rough patch, the doubters pile on, and then Izzo’s crew finds another gear down the stretch.
Just last season, the Spartans weathered a similar storm. A late-January slump, capped by a home loss to a middling Indiana squad, had plenty of people writing them off.
What followed? A string of Quad 1 wins, a surge up the rankings, and an eventual No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
They rode that momentum all the way to the Elite Eight, where they gave Auburn everything it could handle.
This year’s team has the tools to do it again. A freshman-Jordan Scott-is starting to blossom in a big way, much like Jase Richardson did a year ago.
The point guard play is elite, the defense is tightening up, and the Spartans are still in the thick of the Big Ten race. With games against contenders like Wisconsin coming up, Michigan State has a chance to take control of its own destiny.
And here’s the thing: this team has already shown it can hang with anyone. They went toe-to-toe with Michigan, erased a huge deficit, and nearly pulled off the upset.
They’ve beaten Illinois. On any given night, they can beat the very teams being labeled as Final Four locks.
So no, Michigan State’s season isn’t spiraling. It’s simmering. And if history tells us anything, it’s that counting out a Tom Izzo team in February is a dangerous game.
There’s still a lot of basketball left-and a lot of reason to believe the Spartans are just getting started.