The Michigan State Spartans have a proud basketball tradition. Accordingly, Sparty has national championships in 1979 and 2000. In particular, head coaches Jud Heathcote, followed by Tom Izzo, have made MSU a respected national brand. Heathcote was head coach of that 1979 national title team led by the great Irvin “Magic” Johnson. The Spartans won the national championship game over an obscure opponent, the Indiana State Sycamores, led by Larry Bird. It was a College basketball betting omen of NBA glory to come. Additionally, it was a demonstration of MSU’s appeal.
2023-24 Michigan State Spartans Basketball Preview
| National Championship Odds: | +1500 |
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2023-24 Michigan State Spartans Basketball Outlook
The late great Judd Heathcote is in the College Basketball Hall of Fame, and his retirement brought Tom Izzo to the fore. And Izzo has taken the Green and White to the next sportsbook level.
Postseason success is a regular occurrence at Michigan State Basketball under Tom Izzo. He’s led the Spartans for nearly three decades and is responsible for a national championship and eight runs to the Final Four. Michigan State has had consistent success in the Big Ten. Additionally, Izzo produced national products and future NBA weapons. Correlate, he created one of the top-level programs in the entire country.
Things have been different in recent years. The Spartans had won three straight regular season titles in the Big Ten up to the pandemic. However, they settled for 8th, 7th, and 4th place finishes in the three seasons since. Things started to click at the end of last season. Hence, the Spartans advanced to the Sweet Sixteen as a 7-seed. Still, the NCAABB betting totality of the last three years has been comparably disappointing.
Indeed, it was not easy for Tom Izzo to replace Jud Heathcote. Izzo was Heathcote’s heir apparent and knew the program inside and out. But Heathcote had won the program’s only national title and was a beloved figure. Although everyone recognized it was time for him to go after a 22-6 record and a final national ranking of 11th in 1995.
At the onset, Izzo failed to make the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons. But in 1998, his program took off. That year, the Spartans began a string of NCAA Tournament appearances that ran through 2019. Of course, Izzo produced the program’s second and last national championship in 2000.
Tom Izzo has led MSU to eight Final Fours, 10 Big Ten regular season titles, and six Big Ten Tournament championships. He is a 2-time NABC Coach of the Year and 3-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, among many other accolades. Izzo was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016. Late on, in 2019, Izzo led Michigan State to the Final Four.
This season could change that, as the Spartans bring back every significant piece from last year’s squad except for Joey Hauser. While Hauser was an important scorer and cog in this machine, Izzo has also been very busy recruiting the next crop of talent. So, a few minor pieces are gone, and Hauser will certainly be missed. However, there’s a net gain on this roster as a whole. Could this be the year for something really special in East Lansing? Nobody in the Big Ten has won the national championship since Michigan State did it themselves back in 2000. Yet that could change this season.