Michigan State Basketball: Constructing ideal Tom Izzo era NCAA Tournament team

Michigan State basketball has had some great players under Tom Izzo, but who would combine to form the ideal NCAA Tournament starting five?

A question was posed on Twitter the other day about an all-time Michigan State NCAA Tournament team in the Tom Izzo era, and it got me thinking.

The question is not about who the best MSU players of the past couple of decades are, but rather which ones you’d like to have assembled to create a potentially perfect NCAA Tournament team.

Although there are some who should be locks for this list (Morris Peterson, Mateen Cleaves, Travis Trice, Drew Neitzel), other current and former Spartans just seem like they’d be better fits together for a deep NCAA Tournament run.

Here’s how I would assemble as Michigan State’s perfect tourney team.

Power Forward/Center: Jaren Jackson Jr. (2017-18)

Has there been a more unique, naturally-gifted player in the Tom Izzo era than Jaren Jackson Jr.? Probably not. The freshman forward has been a menace all season long and is one of the main reasons Michigan State is 29-4 heading into the NCAA Tournament.

Jackson Jr. is a dominating force in the paint when he’s not in foul trouble and arguably the best post defender Izzo has ever had. He’s a shot-blocking machine, owning the single-season record, and he’s just scratching the surface.

The freshman is considered a lock to be a top-five pick in the 2018 NBA Draft and would headline the post of the all-tournament team. Not many bigs can handle the ball, drive to the basket and dunk over defenders the way Jackson Jr. does.

This matchup nightmare would make the all-time Izzo era tournament team virtually impossible to guard.