Michigan State Basketball: 10 bold predictions for 2018-19 season

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 31: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks to Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans during a game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Breslin Center on January 31, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

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DETROIT, MI – MARCH 18: Cassius Winston #5 of the Michigan State Spartans reacts after being defeated by the Syracuse Orange 55-53 in the second round of the 2018 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Little Caesars Arena on March 18, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

2. MSU falls in first Big Ten Tournament game

Success in the Big Ten Tournament can sometimes carry teams to the Final Four as we saw with the Michigan Wolverines in 2017-18. The Spartans won’t get to experience the momentum gained from a tourney title as they will lose in their first game, which will technically be round three.

Getting those first two byes will help as the Spartans will already be in the quarterfinal, but they won’t be able to escape an upset-hungry team like Penn State, Illinois or Northwestern.

This may seem like a red flag for Spartan fans as they’ve seen this story unfold before, but Michigan State will put this loss behind it for the NCAA Tournament. It’s not going to be an easy task heading into the Big Dance with no chance at a No. 1 seed, or even a No. 2, with such an early conference tourney loss, but Michigan State usually does well as a 3-4 seed.

If you’re banking on this year to end Tom Izzo’s three-year Big Ten Tournament title drought, you’ll be disappointed.

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