Fansided

Michigan State basketball: 5 best seasons in Spartans history

By Mike Phillips

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - MARCH 08: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans while playing the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Breslin Center on March 08, 2020 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - MARCH 08: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans while playing the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Breslin Center on March 08, 2020 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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Best Michigan State basketball seasons
Steve Smith of the Michigan State Spartans Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Daniel /Allsport /

Ranking the five best seasons in the history of Michigan State basketball.

When it comes to college basketball history, Michigan State doesn’t always come to the top of mind. The Spartans do have a pair of national championships to their name, but they aren’t often mentioned in the rarified air of schools like Duke, Kentucky, and North Carolina.

That shouldn’t be the case since the Spartans are bona fide tournament regulars with national prestige. The program has reached new heights under head coach Tom Izzo, who has won one of the national titles and taken Michigan State to nine Final Fours.

Which Spartans’ squads were the best in school history? Read on to find out as we rank the top five, beginning with the 1989-90 team.

5. 1989-90 Michigan State Spartans

This team doesn’t get enough credit for how good they actually were. Led by Steve Smith’s brilliant offensive performance as a senior, Michigan State went 26-5 during the regular season to capture a no. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

That run through March was very bumpy for Jud Heathcoate’s Spartans, which won white-knucklers against 16-seed Murray State in overtime and 9-seed Santa Barbara to advance to the Sweet 16. That brought a date with Georgia Tech, which upset Michigan State 81-80 in overtime to advance to the Elite Eight.

That result came with some controversy as the officials ruled Kenny Anderson’s last-second shot did beat the clock for Georgia Tech, which allowed them to force the extra session. If the basket was disallowed Michigan State would have advanced and they could have won a third championship if a few things broke their way.