The Michigan State basketball team took it to Mississippi State on Thursday, winning the contest 69-51 to advance in the March Madness Tournament. Tom Izzo seemingly always has his team ready to go for the big dance as the Spartans looked unstoppable in this one.
Furthermore, Izzo sounded pleased with his team after the game, according to Steve Reed of The Associated Press. The Spartans played a well-balanced game and it showed against the Bulldogs.
“I thought this was one of the better first-game performances of a team that was, and deservedly so, seeded a little lower. We brought everything from the get-go. We moved the ball well. We shot the ball well. We rebounded the ball.”
Thursday's victory marked Tom Izzo's 56th career tourney win. No matter how the regular season goes for the Spartans, Izzo seemingly gets this Michigan State basketball squad prepared for March Madness year in and year out. Chris Solari, a reporter for Michigan State athletics, shared more impressive stats about Izzo and the NCAA Tournament. Izzo and the Spartans sure love facing SEC teams in the tourney.
“Tom Izzo today extended his NCAA tournament record with a 17th victory as a lower-seeded team. MSU improved to 11-1 all-time against SEC opponents, and Izzo is 9-0 against SEC foes. MSU's lone loss to an SEC team was the 1978 NCAA defeat to Kentucky – a defeat that was one of the factors in Magic Johnson returning to the Spartans to help win their first national title in 1979.”
That's just impressive no matter how you look at it. Tom izzo is a true legend of the sport as he's one of the best college coaches we've seen. Izzo first took over as the Michigan State basketball coach back in 1995 after serving as the program's assistant coach for 12 years. He's led the Spartans to eight Final Four appearances and won the championship in the year 2000.
After taking down Mississippi State on Thursday, the Spartans are set to take on North Carolina in the second round. It's a tough matchup considering the Tar Heels are one of the four No. 1 seeds of the tournament. However, if anybody is prepared to take on a top seeded team, it's Tom Izzo and the Michigan State basketball program.
Look for this one to be an exciting matchup. The Spartans looked fantastic in the opening round and the win should carry momentum in the round two. As for North Carolina, they looked like a true championship contender after molly-whopping Wagner 90-62.
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