1898–1954: early years The first established coach for
Michigan Agricultural College (MSU's name at the time),
Charles Bemies was also the first athletic director in school history, while also coaching the football, baseball, and track teams. His two-year stint as basketball head coach ended in 1901. MAC's second basketball coach was George Denman. Denman is the only basketball coach to go undefeated during his tenure, posting an 11–0 mark during his two seasons. His team still holds the record for largest margin of victory with a 102–3 defeat of
Alma College in 1902. MAC's first full-time athletic director and one of the Spartan's most successful coaches,
Chester Brewer led the football, basketball, and baseball squads to winning records. He holds the highest winning percentage of any Spartan basketball coach with at least four seasons at .736 (70–25). His team also defeated
Michigan in the schools’ first meeting in 1909. George Gauthier was the first alumnus to lead a Michigan State basketball squad. He compiled a career record of 41–38 over four seasons. Gauthier left after 29 games in 1919– 20, posting a 15–14 record. Lyman Frimodig coached the final seven games of the season, going 6–1. He would also serve as head coach for the next two seasons. He remained active in the athletic department after his stint as basketball coach, serving
Michigan State for 41 years as assistant athletic director and business manager.
Benjamin Van Alstyne coached MSU for 22 years from 1926 to 1949. He is third in career victories with 231.
Van Alstyne coached MSU's first All-American,
Roger Grove, in 1930. Some of his greatest victories included a 27–26 victory over
Michigan in 1930 at the dedication of
Demonstration Hall, and a 66–50 upset over
Kentucky in 1945 that was named “Coca-Cola Upset of the Week.” His 47–45 loss to Kentucky in 1948 set the record for the largest crowd in Jenison Field House history. In one season under
Alton Kircher, the Spartans finished 4–18. Following the conclusion of the 1950 season, the Spartans joined the
Big Ten Conference. Pete Newell was hired from
San Francisco following a successful four years with the Dons where he went 70–37 and won the
1949 NIT. His 1951–52 squad was the first ranked Spartan team and also registered a win over No. 14
Notre Dame, the first win over a ranked opponent in school history. One of his biggest wins was a 1952 defeat of No. 2-ranked
Kansas State. After four seasons,
California hired Newell as its head coach and MSU had to search for another coach. Newell is often considered to be one of the most influential figures in the history of basketball.
1954–1965: Forrest "Forddy" Anderson era Forrest "Forddy" Anderson was hired away from
Bradley following a trip to the
1954 Final Four with the Braves. His Bradley team had also made it to the
1950 championship game. Two years after taking over the Spartans, in 1957, he led MSU to its first Big Ten Championship. After opening the season with a 4–7 record, the Spartans won 10 in a row and 12-of-13 to capture their first league title and advance to the school's first
NCAA tournament. A bye in the first round of the tournament preceded wins over Notre Dame and Kentucky to earn a trip to the Final Four. A loss to
North Carolina in the Final Four left MSU in the national third-place game where they lost to San Francisco. Two years later, led by All-American
Johnny Green, the Spartans cruised to a Big Ten Championship, winning the league by four games. A win over
Marquette in the
1959 NCAA tournament put MSU in the Mideast regional finals against Kentucky. The Spartans lost and fell one game short of another trip to the Final Four. Following his initial successes in East Lansing, his Spartan teams only finished with a winning record one time after 1959. He was fired following the 1964–65 season.
1965–1976: post-Anderson era John Benington, who had been an assistant to Anderson at Bradley before joining his staff at MSU, took over as head coach and led MSU to a second-place Big Ten finish in his first season at the helm. The
next season, he led the Spartans to a shared Big Ten title, but
Indiana received the
NCAA tournament bid (at that time, only one Big Ten team received an NCAA bid). After four seasons leading the Spartans, he died of a heart attack after jogging at Jenison Fieldhouse in the summer of 1969 at the age of 47.
Gus Ganakas was an assistant under Benington and was hired to take over following Benington's death. His most successful seasons were in 1973–74 with a fourth-place Big Ten finish and 1974–75 with a 17–9 overall record. In
1975, 10 black members of his team walked out before a game against Indiana for what was perceived at the time as a racial disagreement over starting a white player. Ganakas was fired in 1976, but he continued to be a part of the Michigan State Athletics Department, serving as an assistant A.D. and then as an aide to coach Tom Izzo from 1998 to 2000. He was an MSU basketball radio announcer until 2017. He died in 2019. Heathcote had led the Grizzlies to two
Big Sky championships and the
1975 NCAA tournament, the Grizzlies first ever trip to the tournament. He finished his tenure at Montana with an 80–53 record. As a virtual unknown, Heathcote came to East Lansing looking to return MSU to greatness. They again narrowly advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before losing to
Georgia Tech in overtime. The
Spartans also made an appearance in the
1991 NCAA tournament. The Spartans finished in third place in Big Ten play and received an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed to the tournament where they beat
Green Bay on a buzzer beater by Smith. In the second round, they lost to No. 10
Utah in double overtime. The
Spartans made their third straight trip to the
NCAA tournament in 1992. Another third-place finish in Big Ten play resulted in an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed to the NCAA tournament. There they beat
Missouri State before losing to
Cincinnati in the second round in a rematch of an earlier Spartan win. A trip to the
NIT in
1993 broke the NCAA tournament streak, but Heathcote again led
MSU to the NCAA tournament in
1994. A fourth-place finish the Big Ten led to an at-large bid to the Tournament as a No. 7 seed. Led by
Shawn Respert, they beat
Seton Hall in the first round before losing to second-seeded
Duke in the second round. In his final year at MSU in
1995, Heathcote returned the Spartans to the
NCAA tournament for the fifth time in six years. A second-place finish in Big Ten play resulted in an at-large bid to the Tournament as a No. 3 seed where they were surprised by No. 14-seeded
Weber State in the first round. The game marked the final game of All-American Shawn Respert's career at MSU. Heathcote stepped down in 1995 after 19 seasons at Michigan State. He finished with nine NCAA appearances, three Big Ten championships, and three NIT appearances. He hand-picked his successor, Tom Izzo. "I had to orchestrate the hiring of Tom through (trustees) Bob Weiss and Joel Ferguson and the president (Peter McPherson) because most people wanted to open it up and see who would apply. And then some wanted a black coach," Heathcote said in 2014. "But I felt Tom deserved the job because he'd been there 12 years, and he'd gotten better in the job every single year. Tom was a tireless worker and had a passion for the game. So that combination, in my mind, I knew he was going to be a good coach." and lost in the second round to
Florida State. As of 2026, this is the last year MSU failed to make the NCAA tournament. In
1998, MSU welcomed freshman recruit
Charlie Bell, the fourth of Izzo's "Flintstones" and started slow. They lost to No. 7
Temple, and suffered surprising losses to
UIC and
Detroit in non-conference. However, MSU won nine of their first 10 conference games before losing to eventual conference co-champion
Illinois. In January, MSU entered the AP and Coaches rankings for the first time since the end of the 1994–95 season. The Spartans finished in a tie for the conference championship, their first since
1990, with a record of 13–3 in conference play. Mateen Cleaves was named Big Ten Player of the Year. The Spartans earned the No. 1 seed in the inaugural
Big Ten tournament, but lost their first game in the quarterfinals to
Minnesota. and No. 8
Princeton. The Spartans were eliminated from the Tournament by No. 1
North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen. As the
1998–99 season began, Izzo began his willingness to play anyone anywhere mantra as the Spartans played three top seven teams in their first seven games. However, MSU lost all three. MSU would recover and, after losing their first Big Ten game to No. 24
Wisconsin, the Spartans won the remaining 15 games in conference and won the Big Ten conference regular season by six games with a record of 15–1, their second consecutive Big Ten title. For the second consecutive year, Mateen Cleaves was named Big Ten Player of the Year. The Spartans won the
Big Ten tournament and earned the conference's automatic bid to the
NCAA tournament. As the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region and ranked No. 2 in the country, MSU defeated
Mount St. Mary's, and
Mississippi to advance to their second straight Sweet Sixteen. A win over
Oklahoma and
Kentucky led MSU to the Final Four for the first time since 1979. However, MSU fell short in their bid for an NCAA championship, losing to
Duke in the Final Four. In
1999–2000. Seniors Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson led the way for the Spartans as they began the season ranked No. 3 in the country. However, Cleaves sustained a stress fracture in his right foot prior to the season which forced him to miss the non-conference schedule and MSU fell to 9–4 and ranked No. 11 in the country. After Cleaves' return, MSU finished the Big Ten regular season with a 13–3 conference record and 23–7 overall while being ranked No. 2 in the country and earned a share of the Big Ten title, their third consecutive Big Ten championship. Peterson was named Big Ten Player of the Year, the third consecutive year a Spartan had received the award. The Spartans went on to win the third annual
Big Ten tournament as the No. 2 seed, defeating No. 25
Illinois for the championship for the second consecutive year. The Spartans were awarded the No. 1 seed, their second consecutive No. 1 seed, in the Midwest Region of the
NCAA tournament. From there, the Spartans cruised to their third consecutive Sweet Sixteen with wins over
Valparaiso, and
Utah. MSU continued their national championship push by reaching their second consecutive Final Four with wins over
Syracuse and
Iowa State. MSU won every game by double digits despite playing the best possible seed in each round. In their Final Four matchup, Michigan State faced off against fellow Big Ten foe,
Wisconsin, beating them in a hard-fought game, 53–41. In the national championship game, the Spartans triumphed over the
Florida Gators 89–76, despite losing Cleaves to an ankle injury 3:42 into the second half. The win marked MSU's second national championship in basketball and Izzo's first and only championship to date. Losing both Cleaves and Peterson to graduation following the season, MSU still began the
2000–01 season ranked No. 3 in the country. Led by sophomore Jason Richardson, freshmen Zach Randolph, and seniors Charlie Bell and Andre Hutson, the Spartans finished the non-conference schedule undefeated and ranked No.1 in the country. MSU again earned a share the Big Ten title, their fourth consecutive, with a 13–3 conference record. They suffered a surprise defeat by
Penn State in the
Big Ten tournament in their attempt to win the tournament for the third consecutive year. They received their third consecutive No. 1 seed, in the South Region of the
NCAA tournament. Seeking a repeat National Championship, MSU easily dispatched
Alabama State and
Fresno State to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth consecutive year. A win over
Gonzaga and
Temple led to the school's third straight trip to the
Final Four. However, they were unable to repeat as national champions, losing to
Arizona in the National Semifinal. Following the season, Randolph and Richardson each left school early and declared for the
NBA draft. As a result of Randolph and Richardson's early departure,
MSU struggled with Izzo's tough non-conference schedule in 2002. The Spartans lost four games, all to teams ranked in the top 25 and started the Big ten season with three straight losses. The loss to
Wisconsin snapped MSU's 53-game home winning streak. Michigan State finished the conference schedule at 10–6 and in fourth place with an overall record of 19–10. MSU lost in the quarterfinals of the
Big Ten tournament to No. 23
Indiana marking the first time since 1997 that Michigan State did not win either the Big Ten regular season or tournament title. The Spartans received an at-large bid as a No. 10 seed in the
NCAA tournament and were eliminated in the first round by
NC State. Following the disappointment of an early NCAA tournament exit, the first time Izzo's squads had not won at least one game in the NCAA tournament, the
2002–03 team played another tough non-conference schedule. This time the Spartans faced three ranked teams, only losing one. However, they suffered four losses and finished the non-conference schedule at 8–4 and ranked No. 25 in the country. MSU began the Big Ten regular season losing four of their first six games and fell out of the rankings. The Spartans finished in a tie for third place in the Big Ten at 10–6 in conference and 18–11 overall. Michigan State beat
Purdue in the
Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, but fell to
Ohio State in the semifinals. The Spartans received a bid to the
NCAA tournament for the sixth consecutive year. MSU received a No. 7 seed in the South Region. A win over
Colorado in the first round was followed by a rout of No. 10
Florida to reach the Sweet Sixteen for the fifth time in six years. The Spartans defeated No. 17
Maryland to advance to the
Elite Eight for the fourth time in five years. However, MSU fell to No. 5
Texas in the Regional Final. In
2004, Izzo looked to continue his dominant NCAA run. However, Izzo's penchant for tough scheduling hurt his team as they faced a murderer's row of a schedule which included three straight losses to No. 6
Duke, in overtime, to No. 14
Oklahoma at the
Palace of Auburn Hills, and to No. 8
Kentucky at
Ford Field in the
Basketbowl. The Spartans followed this losing streak by losing two of their final four non-conference games including at No. 17
Syracuse and dropped out of the rankings. They finished the non-conference slate at 5–6. After a loss to open Big Ten play to No. 21
Wisconsin, the Spartans recovered to win seven of their next eight and six of their last seven Big Ten games. They finished in a tie for second place in the Big Ten at 12–4 and 17–10 overall. A win over
Northwestern in the
Big Ten tournament quarterfinals was followed by a third loss of the season to No. 17 Wisconsin. The Spartans received a No. 7 seed in the
NCAA tournament, reaching the tournament for the seventh consecutive year. But, for the second time in three years, the Spartans were knocked out in the first round, this time by
Nevada. In
2005, the Spartans again looked to rebound from a disappointing early NCAA tournament exit. They started the season 3–2, but cruised through the Big Ten, only losing three games, including a loss to No. 1
Illinois and finished second in conference to Illinois. MSU finished the regular season with a 13–3 conference record and 22–5 overall while being ranked No. 13 in the country. The Spartans lost in the quarterfinals in the
Big Ten tournament to
Iowa. Michigan State received an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed in the Austin Regional of the
NCAA tournament, their eighth straight appearance in the Tournament under Tom Izzo. Wins over
Old Dominion and
Vermont led the Spartans to the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth time in eight years. The win marked Izzo's first win over Duke's
Mike Krzyzewski (as of 2017). A double overtime victory over
Kentucky sent the Spartans to their fourth Final Four in seven seasons. MSU would again fall in the Final Four, this time to No. 2-ranked and No. 1-seeded
North Carolina. The
2005–06 Spartans opened the season with a loss to
Hawaii before losing to No. 8
Gonzaga led by
Adam Morrison in triple overtime in the
Maui Classic. Despite this, MSU ended the non-conference schedule at 12–2 and ranked No. 7 in the country. Early Big Ten losses followed by late season losses in conference left the Spartans 8–8 in the Big Ten. In the
Big Ten tournament, MSU defeated
Purdue and No. 9
Illinois before being defeated by No. 20
Iowa in the semifinals. The Spartans received an at-large bid as a No. 5 seed in the
NCAA tournament, their ninth consecutive trip to the Tournament. In the Tournament, they lost to eventual
Final Four Cinderella,
George Mason, in the first round. Following the season, Shannon Brown declared for the
NBA draft, leaving the Spartans one year prior to graduation, just the fourth player under Izzo to declare early. The
2006–07 Spartans began the season 13–2, but were not ranked in the polls. A roller coaster Big Ten season resulted in MSU finishing 8–8 with a win against No. 1
Wisconsin which likely assured the Spartans a trip to the NCAA tournament. MSU lost to Wisconsin after beating
Northwestern in the
Big Ten tournament. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the
NCAA tournament for the 10th consecutive year and beat
Marquette, coached by former Izzo assistant
Tom Crean, in the first round of the Tournament. A loss to No. 3
North Carolina in the second round ended the season. In
2008, MSU finished the non-conference schedule 12–1 and ranked No. 6 in the country with wins over No. 24
NC State, No. 20
BYU, and No. 4
Texas. A hot start to the Big Ten schedule, winning six of seven, was followed by four losses in their next seven which left them in fourth place in the Big Ten with a record of 12–6. As the No. 4 seed tn the
Big Ten tournament, they beat
Ohio State before losing to No. 8
Wisconsin. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the
NCAA tournament to mark their 11th consecutive trip to the Tournament under Tom Izzo. As a No. 5 seed, the Spartans beat
Temple, and
Pittsburgh to move on to the Sweet Sixteen for the seventh time in 11 years. A rout by a Derrick Rose-led
Memphis ended the season. By the beginning of the
2008–09 season, Izzo's teams, though having great success in the NCAA tournament, had not won the Big Ten regular season title since 2001. A solid non-conference start left them at 9–2 and were ranked No. 10 in the country. MSU routed the Big Ten, winning their first five conference games, their best start in conference since 1978. MSU finished the conference season well, winning the
Big Ten championship by four games with a 15–3 record, 25–5 overall, and ranked No. 7 in the country. Following the conclusion of the regular season,
Kalin Lucas was named Big Ten Player of the Year and Tom Izzo was voted Big Ten Coach of the Year. As the No. 1 seed in the
Big Ten tournament, the Spartans defeated
Minnesota. However, Michigan State's hopes for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament likely vanished as they were defeated by
Ohio State, 82–70. Michigan State received an at-large bid as the No. 2 seed in the Midwest Region of the
NCAA tournament, their 12th straight appearance in the Tournament. With wins over
Robert Morris and
USC, the Spartans were able to advance to the Sweet Sixteen, the school's eighth trip to the Sweet Sixteen in the previous 12 years. MSU advanced to the Elite Eight with a win over No. 14-ranked and No. 3-seeded
Kansas. In the Elite Eight, the Spartans defeated
Louisville to advance to Final Four in nearby
Detroit, only 90 miles from MSU's campus. The Spartans defeated
UConn in the national semifinals to earn their third-ever trip to the national championship game. With Izzo 1–0 in championship games and the Spartans 2–0 all-time,
North Carolina scored more points than any team had ever scored in the first half of an NCAA championship game, scoring 55 and blowing out the Spartans 89–72, marking the Spartans first ever loss in the national championship game. In
2010, the Spartans finished the non-conference schedule at 10–3. The Spartans began the Big Ten season on fire, winning their first nine games and went on to earn a share of the Big Ten championship with a 14–4 and ranked 11th in the country. As the No. 3 seed in the
Big Ten tournament, they were defeated in overtime by No. 6 seed
Minnesota in the quarterfinals. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the
NCAA tournament, their 13th straight appearance, earning a No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region. A win over
New Mexico State and
Maryland led MSU to the Sweet Sixteen for the ninth time in 13 years. However, Kalin Lucas suffered a serious knee injury and would miss the remainder of the Tournament. MSU did not seem to miss him and would go on to beat
Northern Iowa and
Tennessee to advance to their second consecutive Final Four and sixth in the prior 12 years. In the National semifinal, they were defeated by
Butler by two points. The
2010–11 Spartans. let by senior Kalin Lucas, finished the non-conference portion of their season 8–4 and ranked No. 20 in the country. However, the Spartans were inconsistent in
conference play, suffering nine losses and finishing 9–9 in conference and in danger of missing the NCAA tournament. After beating
Iowa and blowing out No. 9
Purdue in the
Big Ten tournament, the Spartans fell to
Penn State in the semifinals. The blowout win over Purdue likely ensured the Spartans inclusion in the NCAA tournament. The loss marked only the fourth time MSU failed to win a game in their 14 trips to the NCAA tournament under Tom Izzo. The
2011–12 Spartans, led by senior
Draymond Green, started the season 0–2. However, MSU won the next 15 games in a row to jump into the top ten in the polls. A loss in the regular season finale at home to No. 10
Ohio State meant the Spartans shared the
Big Ten regular season championship with Ohio State and
Michigan, all of which finished the Big Ten season with a 13–5 conference record. In that loss to Ohio State, key freshman reserve,
Branden Dawson, tore his
ACL, ending his season. No. 14
Wisconsin, and No. 7 Ohio State to win the tournament championship, their first tournament championship since
2000. Draymond Green earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors, the fifth time a player had done so under Tom Izzo. Izzo was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year. The Spartans overcame
Saint Louis in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. This marked the 10th time in 15 seasons that the Spartans advanced to at least the Sweet Sixteen. The Spartans, missing Dawson and struggling offensively, became the first No. 1 seed to lose in the Tournament, falling to No. 17 and No. 4-seeded Louisville. MSU began the
2012–13 season 11–2 and ranked No. 18 in the country with wins over No. 7
Kansas and
Texas and were led by junior
Keith Appling and freshman
Gary Harris. The Spartans remained ranked the entire year while finishing tied for second in the
Big Ten with
Ohio State, with a 13–5 conference record and ranked No. 10 in the country. As the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they beat
Iowa in the quarterfinals, but fell to eventual tournament champion, Ohio State, in the semifinals. The Spartans received a No. 3 seed in the
NCAA tournament, their 16th straight appearance in the tournament. MSU defeated
Valparaiso and
Memphis to advance to their fifth Sweet Sixteen in six years and their 11th trip in 16 years. However, the Spartans were defeated by
Duke, who was led by
Seth Curry, in the Sweet Sixteen. Michigan State began the
2013–14 season looking to continue Tom Izzo's Final Four streak: every player who had played four years for Izzo had made at least one Final Four. After beating No. 1
Kentucky in the
Champions Classic, the Spartans moved to the No. 1 spot in the country. The Spartans held the No. 1 spot for three weeks before losing to
North Carolina in the
ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The Spartans cruised through the remaining non-conference schedule, finishing 11–1, to begin the
Big Ten season ranked No. 5 in the country. The Spartans won their first seven conference games, but due to injuries to
Keith Appling,
Adriean Payne, and Brendan Dawson, MSU lost five of their last eight conference games to finish in a second-place tie with
Wisconsin at 12–6. The Spartans, finally healthy and at full strength, beat
Northwestern, No. 12
Wisconsin, and No. 8
Michigan to capture the
Big Ten tournament championship. This marked Michigan State's fourth tournament championship. Michigan State earned a No. 4 seed in the
NCAA tournament's East Region. With wins against
Delaware and
Harvard, they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the third straight year and the 12th time in 17 years. They defeated No. 1-seeded
Virginia in the Sweet Sixteen to advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since
2010. There they fell to No. 7 seed and eventual National Champion,
Connecticut. With the loss, the Tom Izzo's Final Four streak ended. Shortly after the season, Gary Harris declared for the
NBA draft. In
2015, MSU started the season well, but with a shocking loss to
Texas Southern at home in overtime, finished the non-conference season at 9–4 MSU rallied late in the Big Ten season, winning six of their last eight conference games. MSU finished the season in a tie for third place in conference and got hot in the Big Ten tournament beating
Ohio State and No. 8
Maryland, before losing to No. 6
Wisconsin for the tournament title. 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 second round and surprised No. 2-seeded and No. 6-ranked
Virginia in the Third Round. With the win, the Spartans advanced to their fourth straight Sweet Sixteen and seventh Sweet Sixteen in eight years. and
Louisville in overtime gave MSU a trip to their seventh Final Four under Tom Izzo. In the Final Four, the Spartans fell to the eventual National Champions for the second straight season, losing a rematch of their
Champions Classic game to
Duke in the National semifinal. With senior
Denzel Valentine leading the
2015–16 Spartans, MSU went undefeated in the non-conference with the school's best start in history and moved to No. 1 in the polls. However, Valentine suffered a knee injury in late December and would miss four games as MSU lost its first game of the season in
Big Ten play and fell from the top spot in the polls. Upon Valentine's return, MSU continued to struggle, losing four of their first seven conference games and marking their worst conference start since 2003. The Spartans recovered well, losing only one more conference game and finished 13–5 in conference, good enough for second place in the Big Ten. MSU's 26 regular season wins tied the most for a Michigan State team in the regular season. Following the regular season,
USA Today named Valentine National Player of the Year. The Big Ten also announced that Valentine was the Big Ten's Player of the Year. As the No. 2 seed in the
Big Ten tournament, MSU defeated
Ohio State for a third time on the season before dispatching
Maryland and
Purdue to win the tournament championship. With the win, MSU set the record for most Big Ten tournament championships with five (Ohio State has also won five, but one has been vacated due to NCAA violations). MSU, ranked No. 2 in the country, learned that it would not receive a No. 1 seed in the
NCAA tournament, instead receiving a No. 2 seed in the Midwest bracket. This marked the 19th consecutive year the Spartans made the NCAA tournament. Despite receiving the No. 2 seed, MSU was considered by some the favorite to with the NCAA Championship. However, MSU was shocked by No. 15-seeded
Middle Tennessee in the first round in what some argued was the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history at the time. The
2016–17 Spartans were decimated by departures from the prior year as seniors
Denzel Valentine,
Bryn Forbes, and
Matt Costello all graduated and moved to the
NBA. Freshman
Deyonta Davis also declared his eligibility for the NBA after the year and sophomores Javon Bess and Marvin Clark transferred out of the program. In all, five of the Spartans' top six scorers from the 2016 team did not return. In response, MSU welcomed their most-heralded recruiting class ever as four top-50 ranked players entered the program:
Miles Bridges,
Joshua Langford,
Cassius Winston, and
Nick Ward. A young team would look to graduate transfer
Ben Carter and seniors
Gavin Schilling and Eron Harris to fill the holes left by departing players. However, Carter and Schilling suffered season-ending knee injuries before the season began and Harris would suffer one late in the season. As a result, MSU struggled up front as Ward at 6' 8" was the tallest on the team. Former walk-on Kenny Goins became the backup big man at 6' 6". Following losses in their first two games to top-10 teams, MSU suffered two other losses to top-20 teams. Bridges missed seven games with a knee injury near the end of the non-conference slate and the Spartans, who started the season ranked as high as 10 in some polls, entered Big Ten play with an 8–5 record. Izzo would lament his early-season schedule which involved trips to Hawaii, New York, and the Bahamas when his young team wouldn't get needed practice time. Wins to start conference play over
Minnesota (twice) and
Northwestern, which would prove to be two of their better wins on the season, and Bridges's return had MSU at 4–1 in conference play. However, inconsistency haunted the Spartans as their failure to win road games left the Spartans at 8–5 in conference play with a visit to conference leaders,
Purdue. MSU was handled easily by the Boilermakers and Harris suffered his knee injury which appeared to spell the end of MSU's 19-year NCAA tournament streak. However, Bridges, who averaged over 16 points and eight rebounds on the season, and Ward who averaged over 13 points and six rebounds, led the Spartans as they knocked off No. 16-ranked
Wisconsin to likely seal a trip to the
NCAA tournament. A 10–8 conference record left the Spartans in a tie for fifth place. A win over
Penn State in the
Big Ten tournament preceded a loss to Minnesota, but was enough for the Spartans to get an at-large bid to the
NCAA tournament for the 20th consecutive year. As a No. 9 seed, a win over
Miami in the first round led to a loss to No. 1-seeded
Kansas and an end to the season. Bridges finished the season with perhaps the second-best freshman season in MSU history (behind
Magic Johnson): 16.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. Surprisingly, Bridges opted to not enter the
NBA draft and returned to Michigan State for his sophomore year in
2017–18. With newcomer
Jaren Jackson Jr., a consensus top-25 player, joining the team, the Spartans were picked by several publications as the No. 1 team in the country. They began the season ranked No. 2 behind
Duke. After a loss to Duke in the second game of the season, the Spartans won the Victory Bracket of the
PK–80 Tournament holding No. 9-ranked
North Carolina to a school-record low for shooting percentage as they shot 24.6% from the field, including 5.6% from three-point land. The Spartans won 14 straight games, and ascended to No. 1 in the country. A road loss to surprise Big Ten contender
Ohio State followed by a home loss to rival
Michigan dropped MSU in the rankings and shook the team's confidence. However, the team rebounded well, finishing the season by winning their last 12 regular season games, including a win over Big Ten co-leader
Purdue as Bridges took the ball and hit a three-pointer to win the game. On February 17, 2018 while playing at
Northwestern, the Spartans overcame a 27-point deficit to beat the Wildcats, at that time, the fifth largest comeback all-time in Division I history. The Spartans finished with a school-record 16 Big Ten wins and their first outright regular season Big Ten title since 2009. The team also finished 28–3, a record for regular season wins. The Spartans fell again to their rival Michigan in the semifinals of the
Big Ten tournament and received only a No. 3 seed in the
NCAA tournament due to their low strength of schedule. The NCAA trip marked the school's 21st consecutive trip to the Tournament, but following a win in the first round over
Bucknell, the Spartans fell to 11th-seeded
Syracuse marking the third consecutive year and first time under Izzo that the Spartans had failed to reach the Sweet Sixteen in a three-year period. The Spartans led the nation in field goal defense, rebounding margin, and blocks. Freshman Jaren Jackson Jr. set the single-season MSU record for blocks and was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Year. Bridges was named first-team All-Big Ten and second team All-American. For much of the season, the on-court play was shrouded by reports that surfaced that Tom Izzo's program had covered up sexual assault allegations ten years prior. Izzo refused to comment on the reports due to an ongoing investigation by several agencies including Michigan Attorney General's office and the United States Department of Education, but repeatedly said he had no intention of leaving Michigan State and that he had cooperated with all investigations including the previous allegation of sexual assault in 2010. In August 2018 the NCAA cleared Izzo in his handling of the sexual assault allegations. The school was implicated tangentially to the
FBI-college basketball scandal as reports surfaced that Bridges had been paid to attend Michigan State, among other allegations. MSU conducted an investigation and presented their findings that the allegations were false to the NCAA, who cleared Bridges, ruling him eligible to play. Following Bridges and Jackson's departures to the NBA, the
2018–19 team began the season ranked No. 10 in the country. The season was dominated by injuries to the Spartans. Starting guard
Joshua Langford only played 13 games before missing the rest of the season with a foot injury. Key starter Matt McQuaid missed three games with injury and key reserve Kyle Ahrens missed nine games with back and ankle injuries. With five games remaining in the
Big Ten regular season, big man Nick Ward suffered a hairline fracture in his shooting hand and missed the rest of the regular season. He returned in time for the postseason, but was not the same as he struggled to return to the lineup. Despite this, the Spartans earned a share of the Big Ten regular season championship with
Purdue and defeated arch-rival
Michigan twice in the regular season. Led by Big Ten Player of the Year and consensus second team All-American
Cassius Winston, the Spartans also won the
Big Ten tournament for the sixth time, again defeating Michigan in the championship game to go 3–0 against their rival. As the No. 2 seed in the
NCAA tournament, the school's 22nd straight appearance in the Tournament, the Spartans defeated
Bradley and
Minnesota to advance to their first Sweet Sixteen in four years. In the Sweet Sixteen, the Spartans blew out No. 3 seed
LSU to face top-seeded
Duke in the Elite Eight. Despite having multiple first round NBA Draft picks, the Spartans knocked off the Blue Devils to earn a trip to the school's 10th Final Four and eighth under Izzo. The win over Duke improved Izzo's record to 2–11 against Duke coach
Mike Krzyzewski. In the Final Four, the Spartans were upset by
Texas Tech, ending the school's bid for a third national championship. Winston led the Spartans, averaging 18.8 points and 7.5 assists per game. The
2020 team started the season ranked No. 1 in the AP poll for the first time in school history. Senior point guard Cassius Winston was a popular pick as the preseason player of the year. However, shortly before the season, it was announced that Josh Langford had reinjured the foot that had caused him to miss most of the prior season. Langford would not play a game for the Spartans during the season. Due in part to Langford's injury, the Spartans struggled in the non-conference schedule, losing the first game of the season to No. 2 Kentucky before losing twice more in their first eight games and falling to 5–3. MSU also struggled as Cassius Winston dealt with the suicide of his brother, Zachary, on November 10, 2020. Winston did not miss a game due to the tragedy, but did struggle for a portion of the season. MSU rebounded as Winston struggled to return to his All-American form and the Spartans did not lose again until Big Ten play after starting the conference schedule 5–0. The Spartans then lost six of their next 10 games to all but assure they would be unable to win their third straight Big Ten regular season championship. The Spartans rebounded to win their final five games and come from a three-game deficit to earn a share of their third straight Big Ten championship. As the Spartans prepared for the postseason, they were once again a popular pick to win the
NCAA tournament. However, the season ended abruptly when all postseason tournaments, including the NCAA tournament, were canceled due to the
COVID-19 pandemic. Cassius Winston finished his MSU career with the most assists in Big Ten history and was a consensus second team All-American for the second consecutive year. In the COVID-19-shortened
2020–21 season, MSU began the season well, beating
Duke at the
Champions Classic for only the third time under Izzo. MSU finished the shortened non-conference schedule with a perfect 6–0 record and ranked No. 4 in the country. However, things changed abruptly when MSU began Big Ten play. The Spartans lost four of their first six games before pausing team activities for about two weeks due to positive COVID-19 tests in the program. Upon returning to play, MSU lost three straight dropping their conference record to 2–7 on the season and making it seem highly unlikely that they would continue the school's NCAA tournament appearance streak. Four games later, their odds had not improved as they sat at 4–9 in conference and 10–9 overall with seven games remaining. MSU, however, did the unthinkable: five of their last seven games including wins over No. 5
Illinois, No. 4
Ohio State, and No. 2
Michigan to finish the regular season with 15–11 overall record. At 9–11 in the Big Ten, MSU finished with a losing record for the first time under Izzo, but looked safe to move the NCAA tournament streak to 23 straight appearances. A loss in the second round of the
Big Ten tournament marked the first time ever that the Spartans would not compete in the quarterfinals and left them on shaky ground for the NCAA tournament. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the
NCAA tournament as a No. 11 seed in the South region. For the first time, MSU was forced to participate in the
First Four, losing to
UCLA in overtime. Looking to rebound from one of the worst seasons in Izzo's tenure, the Spartans began the
2021–22 season with a loss to No. 3
Kansas. Following the loss, they won five straight before losing to defending national champion
Baylor. They would not lose again until suffering a home loss to
Northwestern ended their perfect start to conference play leaving them at 14–, 5–1 on the season. They rebounded well in the next game, winning on the road against No. 8
Wisconsin, but would lose six of their next nine games to drop to 9–7 in Big Ten play and falling out of the national polls. A win over No. 4
Purdue restored likely ensured a trip to the
NCAA tournament, but the Spartans dropped two of their last three regular season games, finishing 11–9 in Big Ten play and finishing in a tie with
Michigan for seventh in the conference. They beat
Maryland in the second round of the
Big Ten tournament before beating Wisconsin in the quarterfinals. However, their Big Ten tournament run ended in the semifinals with a loss to Purdue. The Spartans continued their streak of NCAA tournament appearances, extending it to 24 straight seasons as they received an at-large bid as the No. 7 seed in the West region. In the first round, they eked out a 74–73 win against
Davidson, featuring former MSU player
Foster Loyer. In the second round of the tournament, they faced
Duke in what would be the final match-up between
Mike Krzyzewski and Tom Izzo due to Krzyzewski's retirement after the season. MSU kept the game close and held a 70–65 with five minutes remaining before Duke outscored them 20–6 to end the game and eliminate the Spartans from the tournament. The
2022–23 team played their second game of the season on the
USS Abraham Lincoln against No. 2-ranked Gonzaga, but lost by a point. A win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic highlighted the early season. However, MSU was blown out by Alabama and Notre Dame early in the season and lost their first conference game to Northwestern. MSU recovered well, starting conference play 4–1 (12–4 overall) before losing five of their next seven games. A game scheduled to be played on campus on February 15 was canceled due to a
shooting on campus the day before that killed four students. The Spartans finished the regular season 19–11, 11–8 in conference play to finish in fourth place. A loss in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament preceded the team's 25th consecutive selection to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 7 seed in the East region, the Spartans defeated USC and upset No. 2-seeded Marquette to earn the school's first Sweet Sixteen appearance since 2019. In a very entertaining game, the Spartans lost to Kansas State to finish their season. Looking to improve on the previous year's Sweet Sixteen appearance, the
Spartans returned all major contributors to the team except Joey Hauser. The Spartans began the 2023–24 season ranked No. 4 in both preseason polls. However, they started the season 1–2 including a home loss in the season opener to
James Madison. Another loss to No. 3-ranked
Arizona and losses to
Wisconsin and
Nebraska in the early schedule left them at 4–5. However, the season appeared to turn around when they blew out No. 6 Baylor in Detroit and the Spartans on their next four games, moving to 9–5. The Spartans struggled early in the Big Ten season, going 1–4 before recovering to move to 9–6 in conference by the middle of February. With a win over
Michigan on January 30, 2024, his 69th birthday, Tom Izzo earned his 700th career win, all at MSU. However, they lost four of their last five conference game to finish with a 10–10 conference record in a three-way tie for sixth place. As the No. 8 seed in the
Big Ten tournament, MSU defeated
Minnesota in the second round before losing to top-seeded
Purdue in the quarterfinals. The Spartans received an at-large bid to the
NCAA Tournament as the No. 9 seed in the West region, extending Izzo's record-setting streak to 26 straight tournament appearances. They easily defeated
Mississippi State in the first round before losing to No. 1-seeded
North Carolina to finish the season a disappointing 20–15. The
2024–25 Spartans looked to bounce back from the prior season's disappointment. MSU started the season with two wins before losing to No. 1
Kansas in the Champions Classic. After two more wins, the Spartans participated in the
Maui Invitational where they were upset in the quarterfinals by
Memphis and settled for a third place finish by beating No. 12
North Carolina in overtime. From there, the Spartans went on a 13-game winning streak, starting Big Ten play 9–0 and moving to 18–2 and ranked No. 7 in the country. However, back-to-back losses to Big Ten newcomers USC and UCLA put an end to the winning streak. Freshman
Jase Richardson, son of Izzo recruit
Jason Richardson, took the lead for the Spartans from there, leading the Spartans in scoring in their five of their final nine regular season games. With a win over
Oregon on February 8, 2025, Izzo tied
Bob Knight for the most wins in conference history with 353. With a win over
Illinois on February 15, Izzo passed Knight for the most wins in conference history. With a loss by
rival Michigan on March 5, the Spartans secured at least a share of the Big Ten regular season championship, their first since
2020. The championship was Izzo's 11th, tying him for the all-time record with Knight and former
Purdue coach
Ward Lambert. With a win over
Iowa on March 6, MSU secured the outright regular season championship. The championship marked the team's first outright championship since
2018. With a win over Michigan in the regular season finale on March 9, MSU earned its 17th conference win on the season, the most conference wins in school history. The Spartans finished three games ahead of second-place Maryland and Michigan in the conference. The Spartans defeated
Oregon in the quarterfinals of the
Big Ten tournament before losing to
Wisconsin. They received an at-large bid to the
NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the South region marking the school's 27th consecutive tournament appearance, the nation's longest active streak. They defeated
Bryant in the first round and
New Mexico in the second round to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. It marked the 16th Sweet Sixteen appearance under Izzo and the school's 22nd overall. MSU defeated
Ole Miss to advance to the Elite Eight where they were defeated by overall No. 1 seed
Auburn. The Spartans finished the season with a record of 30–7, marking Izzo's sixth 30-win season. The Big Ten named Izzo the conference's
coach of the year for the fourth time. The
2025–26 team looked to build on their resurgent 2025 performance. Redshirt sophomore point guard
Jeremy Fears Jr. had a breakout year for the Spartans continuing Izzo's strong point guard legacy. MSU started the season well, winning their first eight games of the season and moving to a No. 7 ranking. A home loss to No. 4 Duke preceded five more wins as the Spartans moved to 12–1 on the season. Following a loss to Nebraska, the Spartans won seven more in a row to return to a No. 7 ranking with a 19–2 record. With a win over
USC on January 5, 2026, Tom Izzo earned his 750th career victory. Losses in three of the next four games ended the Spartans' chances to win the Big ten crown for a second consecutive year and MSU finished the regular season 25–6, 15–5 in conference play to finish in a tie for second place. With 13 assists in a loss to
UCLA in the
Big Ten tournament, Fears surpassed
Cassius Winston for the most assists by a Spartan in a season. The Spartans received a No. 3 seed in the
NCAA tournament, extending Izzo's record-setting streak to 28 consecutive tournaments. After a win in the first round, Fears added 16 assists in the second game of the tournament, setting a record for most assists by a Spartan in a tournament game. The Spartans advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for 23rd time in school history and the 17th time under Tom Izzo. There they lost to No 2-seeded and eventual national runner-up
UConn.Fears was named to several All-American teams. ==Coaches==