Michigan State Spartans
Big Ten (29-4, 16-2)
Michigan State started the year as a favorite by many to win it all. They opened the season with a loss against Duke but rallied for big wins over North Carolina and Notre Dame to back up their lofty ranking. The Big Ten played out and MSU dropped games to Ohio State and Michigan in the middle of season and their ranking took a hit. Fast forward and they have now secured the Big Ten Championship along with a top-5 ranking in the nation.
Big Wins: 11/26 vs North Carolina (63-45), 12/3 Nebraska (86-57), 2/10 Purdue (68-65)
Bad Losses: 1/7 at Ohio State (64-80), 1/13 Michigan (72-82), 3/3 vs Michigan (64-75)
Coach: Tom Izzo
Why They Can Surprise:
Most would argue it would not be a surprise if they won it all. MSU comes into the tournament with one of the best defenses in the Big Ten and an attack capable of putting up big numbers (they scored 100+ points four games in a row at one point this season). With Miles Bridges and Cassius Winston leading the offense and Jaren Jackson dominating the defensive end, they are a force to be reckoned with.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Spartans may disappoint because of two reasons. They have been notoriously bad at turning the ball over. Most games they lag far behind the opponent in the turnover category, but they still have managed to win. The second area is foul trouble. Three starters have had trouble with fouls all year. Jaren Jackson and Nick Ward down low have both been in trouble during some of the biggest games of the year leaving opposing starters to have their way with backup bigs. Cassius Winston has had his fair share of foul trouble too. When he is off the floor, the offense is more stagnant and they lack another ball handler that is capable of beating defenders off the pass and the three.
Probable Starters:
Cassius Winston, Sophomore, Guard, 12.6 ppg, 6.8 apg
Joshua Langford, Sophomore, Guard, 11.7 ppg, 1.6 apg
Miles Bridges, Sophomore, Guard/Forward, 16.9 ppg, 2.8 apg, 6.9 rpg
Jaren Jackson, Jr., Sophomore, Forward, 11.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.2 bpg
Nick Ward, Sophomore, Forward, 12.6 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 1.4 bpg
Key Role Players:
Lourawls Nairn, Jr., Senior, Guard, 1.8 ppg, 3.0 apg
Matt McQuaid, Junior, Guard, 6.2 ppg, 1.3 apg
Xavier Tillman, Freshman, Forward, 2.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg
Kenny Goins, Junior, Forward, 2.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg
Gavin Schilling, Senior, Forward, 3.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 81.0 (42nd in nation, 2nd in conference)
Scoring Defense: 64.8 (20, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 50.4 (6, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 36.6 (1, 1)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.4 (101, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 41.3 (5, 2)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.1 (51, 2)
Rebound Margin: 10.4 (2, 1)
Assists Per Game: 19.3 (1, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 13.2 (189, 11)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over Miami (FL)
2017 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Kansas
2016 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Middle Tennessee State
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Georgia
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over Virginia
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Oklahoma
2015 NCAA Regional Final win over Louisville
2015 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Duke
2014 NCAA Round of 64 win over Delaware
2014 NCAA Round of 32 win over Harvard
2014 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Virginia
2014 NCAA Regional Final loss to Connecticut
2013 NCAA Round of 64 win over Valparaiso
2013 NCAA Round of 32 win over Memphis
2013 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Duke
2012 NCAA Round of 64 win over Long Island
2012 NCAA Round of 32 win over St. Louis
2012 NCAA Regional Semifinal loss to Louisville
2011 NCAA Round of 64 loss to UCLA
2010 NCAA Round of 64 win over New Mexico State
2010 NCAA Round of 32 win over Maryland
2010 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Northern Iowa
2010 NCAA Regional Final win over Tennessee
2010 NCAA National Semifinal loss to Butler
2009 NCAA Round of 64 win over Robert Morris
2009 NCAA Round of 32 win over USC
2009 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Kansas
2009 NCAA Regional Final win over Louisville
2009 NCAA National Semifinal win over Connecticut
2009 NCAA National Final loss to North Carolina
*all team stats through 3/4
