Michigan State basketball makes 26th straight NCAA Tournament

For the 26th tournament in a row, Michigan State basketball is going dancing

For the 26th time in a row, starting in 1998, Michigan State basketball is going dancing. Despite a lot of stress this weekend after some crazy conference tournament outcomes put them back on the bubble, the Spartans will still sneak into the NCAA Tournament after a 19-14 season.

The Spartans will be in the region as the 9-seed, going up against 8-seeded Mississippi State. So yes, it will be MSU vs. MSU in the NCAA Tournament.

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WATCH: Tom Izzo reacts to Michigan State basketball’s loss to Indiana

WATCH: Tom Izzo reacts to Michigan State basketball’s loss to Indiana

It was another tough road loss for Michigan State basketball at Indiana on Sunday, and Tom Izzo wasn’t thrilled with the performance, despite being proud of his team for fighting through a rough night.

Izzo didn’t like the shots that his team took down the stretch as they lost a late lead.

You can watch his full press conference from after the game below:

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WATCH: Tom Izzo previews Michigan State basketball’s season finale against Indiana

WATCH: Tom Izzo previews Michigan State basketball’s season finale against Indiana

This is one regular season that I think Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball won’t mind seeing go to the wayside, but there is still one more game at Indiana where the Spartans can change some of their story before the postseason begins.

On Friday, Tom Izzo spoke to the media about his team and the match-up, and you can watch that below:

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WATCH: Steven Izzo gets emotional talking about Senior Night, playing for Tom Izzo

WATCH: Steven Izzo gets emotional talking about Senior Night, playing for Tom Izzo

Wednesday is Senior Night for Michigan State basketball, and that has a lot of meaning for the Izzo family, as it marks the end of Tom Izzo’s son Steven’s journey at Michigan State basketball as a walk-on player.

In one of the most heart-warming videos you’ll see this year, Steven Izzo gets choked up talking about playing for his dad, and what it meant for his dad to be willing to take some heat for bringing his son into the program, especially at his 5’8″ height.

SpartanMag had the video, which you can watch below:

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WATCH: Tom Izzo previews Michigan State basketball vs. Northwestern

WATCH: Tom Izzo previews Michigan State basketball vs. Northwestern

Michigan State basketball will look to snap a 3-game losing streak on Wednesday when they host Northwestern for a late-season rematch and the Spartans will look to avenge their January loss to the Wildcats.

There is a lot at stake in this one, at MSU is still not quite on the NCAA tournament bubble, but they probably would be if they lose that game.

Below, you can watch Izzo’s full press conference previewing the game:

QUOTES: Tom Izzo previews Michigan State basketball vs. Northwestern

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Quotes: Tom Izzo breaks downs Michigan State basketball’s senior night match-up vs. Northwestern

Tom Izzo breaks downs Michigan State basketball’s senior night match-up vs. Northwestern

For a multitude of reasons, Wednesday night’s match-up for Michigan State basketball vs. Northwestern will be one of great importance for the Spartans.

For one, it’s senior night, and the Breslin Center might be saying goodbye to players like A.J. Hoggard, Tyson Walker and Mady Sissoko.

It’s also of vital importance because recent losses has made this game more of a must-win, and the Spartans will also be looking to avenge their January loss to the Wildcats.

Tom Izzo broke down the match-up along with his thoughts on his program on Monday, and you can see the notable quotes from that session below.

Quotes: Tom Izzo breaks down Michigan State basketball’s loss to Purdue

Quotes: Tom Izzo breaks down Michigan State basketball’s loss to Purdue

As we all know, there are no moral victories in college basketball, a loss is a loss. But Michigan State basketball’s loss to Purdue on Saturday at least felt a little better than their last two losses Ohio State and Iowa.

It wasn’t because Purdue was favored to win anyway, it was more-so because MSU competed in this one and played hard basketball even when they went down double digits, and that was encouraging to see.

In his post game press conference, Tom Izzo said he was proud of the way his team competed, something he didn’t say in the last two losses. You can see some key quotes from that press conference below.

WATCH: Tom Izzo explains why he played Mady Sissoko over Xavier Booker at end of Michigan State basketball’s loss to Ohio State

Tom Izzo gives explanation for why he played Mady Sissoko over Xavier Booker at end of Michigan State’s loss to Ohio State

It is easily the most debated topic of the day, no actually probably the whole year, but especially today: following Michigan State basketball’s home loss to Iowa, fans are wondering why Tom Izzo and his staff went away from freshman Xavier Booker, who started the game and led the team in box score plus-minus, in favor of senior Mady Sissoko.

After the game, Tom Izzo gave his explanation for the move:

You can read all of his quotes from after the loss here.

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Quotes: Tom Izzo and Jake Diebler address media following Michigan State basketball’s loss to Ohio State

Quotes: Tom Izzo and Jake Diebler address media following Michigan State basketball’s loss to Ohio State

I would say that this latest loss to Ohio State at home on Sunday is one of the more painful losses of the season. While Ohio State did recently beat Purdue, they have been one of the worst road teams in the Big Ten, are fresh off firing a coach, and this was a game where MSU had multiple large leads.

Yet, some interesting coaching decisions as the Spartans went scoreless for nearly four straight minutes to close the game led to an Ohio State win and MSU is now back on the bubble.

After the game, Tom Izzo and Ohio State coach Jake Diebler addressed the media, and you can find the notable quotes from that session below.

Couch: Michigan State basketball freshman Xavier Booker ‘in a really good place’

Couch: Michigan State basketball freshman Xavier Booker ‘in a really good place’

One of the most divisive topics surrounding Michigan State basketball this season has been the play, or lack thereof, of freshman phenom Xavier Booker.

Booker, who was a 5-star recruit coming into the season, has averaged just 8 minutes per game this season, and some fans are getting nervous that this might be giving him cold feet about staying in East Lansing for the long-term. Other fans are frustrated because MSU has had some struggles with their big men this season, and Booker seems like an obvious solution to some.

The one person who hasn’t weighed into this topic too much this season is Xavier Booker, and what little he has said has been very positive about his development, usage, and the coaching staff. That trend seems to be continuing, as Booker spoke to the media on Friday and Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch reported on social media that Booker is ‘in a really good place’ and that Booker and Izzo are ‘in alignment’ on his progress and development.

Here is the full post from Couch, and we will link to his full story on Booker once it drops for the Lansing State Journal:

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