EAST LANSING, Mich. — The NCAA Tournament marches on this week and, once again, the Big Ten is the convenient punching bag for fans and national media alike.
As No. 7 seed Michigan State prepares to face No. 3 Kansas State on Thursday in the Sweet 16 of the East Region, the Spartans do so as the only Big Ten team remaining in the field, another in a line of several lackluster showings from the conference.
Eight Big Ten teams made the NCAA Tournament field, including No. 1 seed Purdue and No. 4 Indiana, but only the Spartans made it out of the first weekend. And with No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson's epic upset over the Boilermakers, the shots at the Big Ten have been ramped up this spring.
Izzo, however, is in the Sweet 16 for the 15th time — tied for most among active coaches — and whether he likes that the Spartans are again carrying the banner for the Big Ten.
“I’ve heard from most of the coaches in the Big Ten, to be very honest with you,” Izzo said on Tuesday before Michigan State had practice, then planned to hit the road for New York. “Because for me, nothing means more than Michigan State. And second on the list would be the Big Ten Conference, because it's been good to me. I've been a part of it; I believe in it, I love the academic situation we have here. I love the fan bases we have in the Big Ten.
“There's so many things we have here that are special, and the one thing that we don't have is we have not won a championship since ours (23) years ago.”
Indeed, that is what drives so much of the criticism of the Big Ten. Michigan State won the national title in 2000, but the conference has been blanked ever since. Of course, the detractors are conveniently overlooking the fact the Big Ten has reached the Final Four 14 times since MSU’s championship — only the ACC has more, with 16 — and has played in the championship game six times.
Throw in the last three seasons, though, and things have truly gotten difficult for the Big Ten. Only Michigan State reached the Sweet 16 this season out of eight teams — in addition to Purdue and Indiana being eliminated, Iowa and Illinois were bounced in the first round, while Maryland, Northwestern and Penn State exited in the second — a year after nine Big Ten teams made the field, with just two reaching the second weekend.
In 2021, Michigan was the only team to reach the second weekend, with Michigan State the last team to reach the Final Four, in 2019, and Michigan the last to play in the title game, in 2018.
“I, myself, have been in (four) Final Fours, (along) with another Big Ten team,” Izzo said. “That means half the field was a Big Ten team and we didn't get it done.”
The question, of course, is why?
It’s a simple question that might not have a simple answer, but the past couple of seasons, the focus has been on whether the Big Ten’s reliance on traditional big men like Purdue’s Zach Edey hurts come NCAA Tournament times.
“I think it’s a million different reasons,” Izzo said. “I think like this year, one of the problems is we beat the hell out of each other. I don't think it wore us down; I just think it put us in a position where everybody's a 7, 8, 9 seed. That’s the toughest place to be in. You’d almost rather be a 12 seed and play a 6 and then play a 3. The 1 and the 2 are really the toughest ones to get around, usually. Not many people beat the 1 and 2 seeds most of the time.
“But, I don't think it's style of play and all the things people say. It all comes down to matchups.”
And through two games, the matchups have been favorable for Michigan State, which knocked off No. 10 Southern Cal in the first round before beating No. 2 Marquette in round two.
Neither team had a dominant big man, allowing Michigan State to play to its strengths, as opposed to devising a way to limit its opponents. The same could be said for the meeting with Kansas State and a potential game against No. 4 Tennessee in the regional final.
If it plays out that way and the Spartans truly do match up well, they could be a step closer to ending the Big Ten title drought.
“A lot of guys in our league are competitors, and most of the time, they are probably pulling for us for a variety of reasons, and that's all good,” Izzo said. “I feel bad the six other times we've been (to the Final Four) and haven't been able to get it done. But, you keep knocking on that door, man, and someday, Cinderella, that slipper will fit, someday. You just gotta keep knocking.”
