The Spartans are rolling, and ready for the big dance.
Tom Izzo is due for a March run. After burnishing a reputation as one of the great tournament coaches in the sport, Izzo’s teams have failed to get out of the first weekend each of the last three years. Last year might have been his most discouraging loss, falling to Syracuse in the Round of 32 even with two lottery picks on his team in Jaren Jackson Jr. and Miles Bridges.
Fear not: Izzo has always done better with veteran teams rather than NBA talent. That’s the type of squad he has this year, one led by star junior point guard Cassius Winston with a dependable cast of role players around him.
MSU’s on-paper talent this year was never overwhelming, and yet they enter March as one of three teams ranked in the top 10 of both offensive and defensive efficiency. The Spartans protect the rim and play solid man-to-man defense, staying disciplined rather than going for steals. Offensively, they share the ball better than any team in the country, with an NCAA leading 67.8 percent of their baskets coming on assists.
If Izzo wants to reclaim March as his month, he has the team to do it this year.
Three reasons Michigan State can win the national championship
Cassius Winston is one of the best point guards in America
Winston entered Michigan State as part of a loaded four-man recruiting class headlined by Bridges. Three years later, he’s the face of the program as the consummate college floor general who controls the pace of the game, makes plays for his teammates, and can stretch out defenses with his shooting.
Winston isn’t the biggest or most athletic point guard, but he’s unquestionably one of the best at this level. He’s been top-three in the country in assist rate all three years he’s been in school, firing passes to open shooters and hitting MSU’s big men inside with equal touch. He’s also averaging a career-high 19 points per game, up from the 12.6 he averaged as a sophomore.
Winston is the engine that makes the Spartans go in every way. A high-level, experienced point guard can carry a team a long way in March. MSU is hoping it happens again.
They’re full of veteran role players
Most teams would have been sunk by a season-ending injury to a player as productive as Josh Langford, but MSU has thrived despite the junior guard’s absence. It’s happened because Izzo has a host of smart and physical role players at his disposal.
Matt McQuaid is a senior shooter who gives the Spartans a consistent threat from the outside. Kenny Goins is a versatile big man who rebounds and stretches the floor as a 39 percent three-point shooter. Sophomore Xavier Tillman is Izzo’s secret weapon, a 6’8, 245-pound forward who doubles as an efficient scorer and defensive playmaker.
Michigan State doesn’t have established co-stars around Winston like other teams, but the lineups they put around him feature shooting, defense, and unselfish ball movement.
Tom Izzo thrives with teams like this
The Spartans don’t have a single player with NBA aspirations for this year, yet they’ve slowly improved as collective unit all season to enter March one of the favorites to win it all. In many ways, this is the ideal Izzo team.
The Spartans get after it defensively and are one of the best teams in this tournament on the offensive glass. The return of Nick Ward gives them an inside scoring presence to complement their shooters. With Winston at the controls, the Spartans can always keep the pace how they want it.
Izzo has gone to the Final Four seven times in his career. Who says this can’t be No. 8?
The path for Michigan State to the national championship
All Michigan State has to do to make the Final Four is get past Duke. Easy, right?
The Spartans are the second seed in the East region, which puts them on a collision course to face Duke in the Eight Eight. They have to beat Louisville or Minnesota, and then likely Maryland or LSU in the Sweet 16 to get there first.
Michigan State already proved itself by winning the Big Ten tournament. The Spartans look ready for the real thing.
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