Michigan State's Big Ten accolades are just the start for a team capable of tourney run

The Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball team officially clinched at least a share of the 2025 Big Ten conference title with Maryland’s win over No. 17 Michigan on Wednesday night, solidifying Sparty's spot as one of the country’s elite teams.

It’s the 11th conference championship for the Spartans during head coach Tom Izzo’s 30-year tenure, tying him with legendary coach Bob Knight for the most all-time by one coach. Izzo also passed Knight for most career Big Ten wins earlier this season.

But even after returning to the top of the conference for the first time in five years, Michigan State and its fans want more. And they should.

Michigan State doesn't (usually) mess around in March

Izzo and Michigan State have a history of winning, particularly in the month of March. The head coach didn’t earn the nickname “Mr. March” for nothing. His eight Final Fours, 26 straight tournament appearances, and 56-25 overall March Madness record speak for themselves, and he also holds the record for most wins as the worst seed.

However, recent seasons have seen the Spartans struggle to make magic. The best seed they've had since their last Final Four run in 2019 is the No. 7 seed, and they made their deepest run since then in 2023.

That year, the 7-seed Spartans knocked off 2-seed Marquette to reach the Sweet 16. However, an overtime classic against Kansas State ended the Spartans' season. The run led to Michigan State being ranked in the top four the following season, but the Spartans quickly fell down to earth – earning a 9-seed in last year’s tournament and bowing out in the second round against North Carolina.

That was the last time the Spartans made it past the first weekend, and it hasn’t sat well with fans and those around a program used to winning.

Michigan State can clinch the outright Big Ten title as early as Thursday, then sweep Michigan

The Spartans have two more games left in the regular season, starting with Thursday night’s road game against Iowa. Michigan State owns the series against the Hawkeyes historically but has lost five of its last seven meetings with the Hawkeyes, including the last three in Iowa City,

The Spartans have not beaten Iowa on the road since the 2018-19 season, which ended with their most recent Final Four appearance. If they can snap that skid, they will claim the Big Ten title outright before closing the regular season against archrival Michigan. That would be Michigan State’s first outright Big Ten title since 2017-18.

Michigan State would love nothing more than to add a sweep of the Wolverines to their latest championship season. It would make it two straight years and four straight wins for the green and white over the team from Ann Arbor and a possible 17-3 finish to Big Ten play – which would top the best conference season in program history (16-4 in 2018-19).

The Spartans are basically assured the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, meaning, once the regular season ends, they will not play until Friday, March 14. It’s not too long of a layoff, but it is a somewhat extended break.

They’ll have to return to the court to face the winner of the 8 vs. 9 matchup, which right now would be either Oregon or Indiana, and need to win three games to claim their seventh Big Ten Tournament championship, further announcing the return of a proud program.

The Spartans are a national contender and have their best March Madness outlook in years

Of course, Spartan fans would gladly sacrifice a Big Ten Tournament title for a deep run in the NCAA Tournament. It’s been too long since Michigan State made one of its patented runs on the main national stage, and this year’s team could do it after returning to the basic approaches of Michigan State basketball: defense, rebounding, toughness and transition offense.

Bracket experts currently project the Spartans as a No. 2 seed, and that’s likely where they’ll stay unless they get help from other conferences. Nonetheless, it will be their best seed in the NCAA Tournament since 2019. MSU was a No. 2 seed when they reached their last Final Four.

This year’s team isn’t without its problems, especially from three-point range. Yet, they keep finding ways to win, and it’s putting them in positions to be successful, even with their annual late January/early February lull that somehow always worries fans when they know it’s coming.

The Spartans always challenge themselves against elite teams, and this year was no different in conference play. They have played all sorts of different styles of opponents and made a run to claim the conference title with their backs against the wall, winning five straight Quad 1 matchups.

No. 1-ranked Auburn is the only team in the entire country with more Quad 1 wins than the Spartans.

Yet, even with all it has achieved so far, Michigan State has its eyes on much more. Its history says this can be a special year, but there is more work to be done. After recent seasons, the fans deserve to see Izzo and his squad make another run through March. This could be the team that finally does it.