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Michigan State Basketball: 5 reasons Spartans will beat Hurricanes

By Connor Muldowney

Mar 9, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22) dunks the ball as Penn State Nittany Lions guard Josh Reaves (23) looks on in the first half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 9, 2017; Washington, DC, USA; Michigan State Spartans guard Miles Bridges (22) dunks the ball as Penn State Nittany Lions guard Josh Reaves (23) looks on in the first half during the Big Ten Conference Tournament at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 23, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a play during the first half of a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 23, 2017; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans head coach Tom Izzo reacts to a play during the first half of a game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Tom Izzo has never lost two consecutive first-round matchups

There’s a first for everything, right? Tom Izzo hopes that doesn’t come true this season for his young Spartans. After losing in the first round a season ago against Middle Tennessee, the head coach is facing the possibility of losing in the first round in two straight NCAA Tournament for the first time in his Michigan State career.

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The first time he lost in the first round was 2001-02 and the next season his team went on to make the Elite Eight. The next first-round defeat was 2003-04 and the Spartans went to the Final Four the following season. He has lost in the first round just twice since (including last season) and only failed to make it past the first weekend once the next season.

Streaks are made to be broken, but for Michigan State this year, it looks like the Spartans are doing their best to stick to the trend. The Spartans faced a ton of adversity all year with injuries and early losses with a young team, but stuck together to make Izzo’s 20th straight NCAA Tournament appearance. If you think they’re about to let this streak end, you may want to think again.

It’s tough to truly tell what this team is capable of doing, but they clearly play well with their backs against the wall. When they were 13-9 heading into the Nebraska road game and everyone was calling them an NIT team, they could have easily backed down and fallen apart.

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The cohesive group is going to fight to see another game and that potential matchup with Kentucky in the second round is motivation.

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