This is March and Tom Izzo has Michigan State peaking at the perfect time

The calendar has turned to March and Michigan State is surging, something we should have seen coming with Tom Izzo on the sidelines.

A lot of the dialogue this season in college basketball has concerned what is wrong with certain teams, with Michigan State coming in near the top of the list. The Spartans began the year as the preseason No. 1 but inconsistencies saw them become the first preseason no. 1 to drop out of the AP rankings since 2013.

That was rock bottom for Michigan State, which has begun rounding into peak form over the past several weeks. Following Tuesday’s gritty road win at Penn State, the Spartans have won five of their last six games, including four in a row, to surge into a first-place tie in the Big Ten.

This run has included three straight victories over ranked teams, including a season-saving win vs. Illinois, a 12-point win at Maryland over the weekend. As a result of this resurgence, Michigan State is now tied with the Terrapins atop the Big Ten and can clinch at least a share of the regular-season title with a win over Ohio State on Senior Day on Sunday.

This pattern is not new for Michigan State, which has often found itself stumbling along in mid-January only to be at their best once the NCAA Tournament rolls around. The credit goes to head coach Tom Izzo, who is a wizard at finding the right mix of players and getting the most out of his teams when the games start to really matter.

The Spartans stumbled early when they lost shooting guard Joshua Langford to a foot injury. Langford was expected to be Michigan State’s primary outside shooter and his absence meant the Spartans had to dig deep to find a replacement.

One player who has started to step up to fill the void left by Langford’s injury is guard Rocket Watts who had to adjust to playing out of position. Watts, a natural point guard who is expected to succeed Cassius Winston next season, has finally gotten into a rhythm playing off the ball.

The Spartans have gotten double-digit point totals out of Watts in their last three games, including a 21-point effort against Iowa when he shot 9-of-17 from the floor. Watts has become part of a streamlined rotation for Michigan State, which uses only seven players for more than 10 minutes per game.

Credit Izzo who has spent most of the season trying different lineup combinations to find the right mix that works. The new starting five for Michigan State is Winston, Watts, Malik Hall, Aaron Henry and Xavier Tillman with Kyle Ahrens and Gabe Brown the first two options off the bench.

Tightening the rotation has allowed Izzo to ensure his best players are on the floor for the majority of the night, giving Michigan State their best chance to win on a consistent basis. That continuity has allowed this group to thrive and they have already picked up five true road wins against ranked opponents this season.

Izzo knows what he is doing and while the results didn’t come in the middle of the conference season, the Spartans find themselves right where they wanted to be. Michigan State is on the brink of another Big Ten regular-season title and if they do well in the conference tournament they could raise their seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Most bracket projections have Michigan State as a No. 4 seed right now, and a good finish to the season could have them end up on the three-line. Seeding never really matters with Michigan State, however, since they are a far more dangerous out in March with Izzo on the sidelines.

Izzo has continuously shown he is a much better tournament coach and anyone who sees Michigan State in their draw should be very concerned.

The Spartans have finally found the right mix of guys and Izzo will have this group primed to be a dangerous foe in March Madness.

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