Michigan State Basketball: 5 most memorable moments of 2017 season

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PORTLAND, OR – NOVEMBER 26: Nike co-founder Phil Knight presents head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans and the Michigan State Spartans the trophy for the ‘Victory Bracket’ Championship after the game during the PK80-Phil Knight Invitational presented by State Farm at the Moda Center on November 26, 2017 in Portland, Oregon. Michigan State won the game 63-45. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

3. Winning the PK80 Invitational

No one gives the Phil Knight Invitational enough credit for being one of the best low-key tournaments in recent memory. This early-season tournament was set up to honor the creator of Nike on his 80th birthday and it was prepared almost on a whim and essentially blew the rest of the preseason tournaments out of the water.

The PK80 assembled some of the best teams in college basketball and had two separate brackets. The Spartans were paired in a bracket with North Carolina and Connecticut and rolled through both teams on their way to the tournament title.

Michigan State also picked up a win over DePaul in the tournament opener and there was a remote game against Stony Brook which was technically part of the PK80 as well. The Spartans showed up and showed off in the tournament, proving that were one of the best teams in college basketball despite a loss to Duke a week earlier.

The players gained some confidence by beating teams like DePaul by 22, Connecticut by 20 and North Carolina by 18. This had to be a memorable moment for Tom Izzo who got to hoist the PK80 title trophy with Knight by his side

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