Michigan State was led by seniors
Travis Trice (15.3 points and 5.1 assists per game) and
Branden Dawson (11.9 points and 9.1 rebounds per game) and junior
Denzel Valentine (14.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game). The Spartans started the season ranked No. 18 in the country. The Spartans had two players transfer to the team. Eron Harris transferred from
West Virginia. Under NCAA transfer rules, Harris had to redshirt for the 2014–15 season.
Bryn Forbes transferred from
Cleveland State. The NCAA granted Forbes a waiver due to family hardship that allowed Forbes to play immediately without having sit out a season. MSU began the season with a trip to play
Navy in
Annapolis, Maryland at the
Naval Academy. The Spartans survived a scare to win a close game 64–59. The Spartans then traveled to
Indianapolis, Indiana to participate in the
Champions Classic, but were unable to outlast Duke (whom they would later meet in the Final Four), losing 81–71. MSU won their next four games, including wins over
Santa Clara,
Rider, and
Marquette in the
Orlando Classic. In the championship game of the Orlando Classic, the Spartans fell to No. 11
Kansas 61–56. Despite the loss, MSU moved up to No. 19 in the polls. In the
ACC–Big Ten Challenge, MSU could not hold off
Notre Dame, losing in overtime 79–78. Wins followed against smaller schools including
Oakland and
Eastern Michigan before MSU was shocked by
Texas Southern at home in overtime. Following the loss, the Spartans went unranked the remainder of the season. They finished the non-conference season at 9–4. In the
Big Ten season, the Spartans were swept by
Maryland and suffered bad losses to
Nebraska,
Illinois, and
Minnesota in overtime. However, the Spartans rallied late in the season, winning six of their last eight conference games including a win over No. 23
Ohio State and wins at
Michigan and at Illinois. MSU finished the season in a three-way tie for third place in conference. The Spartans finished the season with an overall record of 21–10, 12–6 in the Big Ten regular season. The Spartans got hot in the Big Ten tournament beating Ohio State and No. 8 Maryland. They challenged No. 6
Wisconsin for the tournament title, eventually losing the Big Ten tournament Championship in overtime. The Spartans received an at-large bid in the
NCAA tournament as a No. 7 seed in the East Region. The bid was MSU's 18th straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. MSU beat
Georgia in the First Round and surprised No. 2-seeded and No. 6-ranked
Virginia in the Second Round. With the win, the Spartans advanced to their fourth straight Sweet Sixteen and seventh Sweet Sixteen in eight years. Valentine scored 18 points and Trice contributed 24. Trice was named the Regional's MVP. ==Schedule and results==