Spartans' final exam of a tumultuous season: NCAA tournament
EAST LANSING – Next stop: Tulsa. And the Michigan State Spartans are hoping Oklahoma’s gonna treat them great.
As Tom Izzo and company prepare to say “bienvenido” to Miami (Fla.) and a 20th straight NCAA tournament, it’s important to look back at the chaotic season of travel, injuries, inconsistency and growth.
It’s also vital for the Spartans to translate those lessons they learned into a corrective action plan with the finality of their next loss.
“I told my players that I appreciated the fact that we pushed and pulled a lot this year. We went through a lot,” Izzo said Sunday night. “They could have thrown in the towel a few times. They hung in there. I still think we are playing some of our better basketball.”
First up for No. 9 seed MSU (19-14) is an opening-round game against No. 8 seed Miami (21-11) at BOK Center. Tipoff is around 9:15 p.m. ET on Friday (TNT).
How the Spartans got into the 68-team field is just as important to consider as the path that lies ahead if they want to reach Izzo’s eighth Final Four.
Read more:
Boeheim: Michigan State 'didn't have as many good wins' as Syracuse
Michigan State earns No. 9 seed, plays No. 8 Miami in NCAA tournament
Printable: 2017 NCAA basketball tournament bracket
THE PAST
NOVEMBER: Eight games, 22 days and 13,000-plus miles of travel were the key numbers. The Spartans went to Hawaii and New York and the Bahamas and Cameron Indoor Arena included losses to the likes of Arizona, Kentucky, Duke and Baylor – all top-3 NCAA seeds – and a big win over Wichita State at the Battle 4 Atlantis. The 4-4 month was an into-the-fire baptism for Miles Bridges, Nick Ward, Joshua Langford and Cassius Winston.
DECEMBER: The calendar flipped, and the injury bug hit Dec. 1. Bridges would miss the entire month with a foot injury, joining Gavin Schilling and Ben Carter on the bench. MSU dropped a stunner at to Northeastern but managed to win its other four home games before rallying to a victory at Minnesota in the Big Ten opener and then downing Northwestern. The Spartans closed 2016 with a 10-5 record and with a developing force in Ward.
JANUARY: Much like when Denzel Valentine returned from missing action a year earlier, the Spartans struggled when Bridges returned from his seven-game absence. The inconsistency in conference play began immediately, a blowout win and season-high 93 points against Rutgers in Bridges’ first game back, followed by a loss to Penn State in Philadelphia, followed by a home blowout of Minnesota. MSU then lost its next three, two on the road, before beating Michigan at home to close the month.
FEBRUARY: After the Wolverines demolished MSU in the rematch, the NCAA bubble talk grew. The Spartans started and ended the month with big victories, at Nebraska for just their second road win to open it and at home against Wisconsin to close it. In between, more inconsistency, including blowout losses at Michigan and Purdue and gritty home wins over Iowa and Ohio State. Eron Harris’ knee injury midway through the month ended his season and shortened Izzo’s rotation further.
MARCH: MSU dropped its final two games to close the regular season at Illinois and Maryland, finishing just 2-7 in true road games. The Spartans looked impressive against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament opener before looking flat while getting bounced by Minnesota.
THE FUTURE
ROUND 1: Miami presents a battle-tested challenge, with veteran guards Davon Reed (senior) and Ja’Quan Newton (junior) guiding the path for freshman backcourt partner Bruce Brown. All three average more than 30 minutes and combine to average 40.3 of the Hurricanes’ 69.4 points a game.
ROUND 2: Should the Spartans win Friday, an almost certain matchup with No. 1 seed Kansas and former recruiting target Josh Jackson awaits Sunday. The Detroit native doesn’t have to be the focal point, with senior guard Frank Mason III scoring 20.8 points, but Jackson averages 16.4 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists for a Jayhawks team scoring 82.7 points a game.
MIDWEST REGIONAL: Escape the first weekend and a number of familiar faces could await the Spartans in Kansas City, including No. 4 seed Purdue and No. 7 seed Michigan. Second-seeded Louisville and 3-seed Oregon also are in the other half.
Contact Chris Solari:csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@chrissolari. Download our Spartans Xtra app for free onAppleandAndroiddevices!