Tom Izzo Sets the Record Straight on Michigan State's Schedule
The Michigan State Spartans have gotten off to a 4-1 start this season, but it certainly has not been an easy road for Tom Izzo's club.
Most recently, Michigan State defeated the Samford Bulldogs by a score of 83-75. That was this past Tuesday, and the Spartans were in danger the whole way.
The casual observer may look and say, "Samford? Really?"
But even though the Bulldogs are a mid-major, they are one tough opponent, and Izzo scheduled them by design.
“What we tried to do this year -- we got a couple more coming up -- I never was happy with our ranking at the end because I always thought we played a tough schedule,” Izzo said. “You play three or four teams (because) you have to play somebody at home, so we said we've got to upgrade a little bit in the mid-major deal. This was a hell of an upgrade. I give them a lot of credit. I think they're gonna be really good.”
Michigan State also faced No. 1-ranked Kansas earlier in the month, so Izzo was certainly pulling no punches when he put together this slate for his club.
The Spartans will now have three straight games against rather significant schools in Colorado, Minnesota and Nebraska. Are any of those teams the Jayhawks? No, but perhaps the meetings with Kansas and Samford have helped Michigan State prepare for this upcoming stretch.
"I think we'll reap the benefits quickly,” Izzo said. “I know Colorado, the next team we play, presses some. This game will help us. I hate to admit it, but you play these games and everybody (fans) just wants the Kansas games.”
The Spartans entered the year unranked, so they absolutely must make a great impression early on to get on everyone's radar.
They definitely raised some eyebrows by playing Kansas tough, and while their win over Samford wasn't a blowout, it was still impressive.
Outside of the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign where there was no NCAA Tournament, the last time Michigan State missed the Big Dance was in 1997, which was Izzo's second year at the helm.
So, being ranked outside the top 25 is certainly not scary for Izzo, especially considering that the Spartans also weren't ranked in the preseason in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
There is no question that Michigan State's difficult schedule will weigh in the minds of the selection committee in March.
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