Andy Katz thinks Michigan State basketball could make NCAA tourney with 4-2 finish

After beating Indiana on the road, Andy Katz said that Aaron Henry may have saved Michigan State basketball’s season and a 4-2 finish could mean tourney.

All hope had been lost. Michigan State basketball followed up a two-game winning streak with a two-game losing streak, which included an embarrassing 30-point home loss to Iowa (the worst home loss in the Tom Izzo era) and a 10-point crumbling defeat at Purdue.

Tom Izzo was preparing his remarks on the final weeks of the regular season which included a tough, but fair, the final games will be an “audition” for underperforming players.

How did the team respond? They went into Bloomington and picked up a huge win over the Hoosiers, a team that had been considered one of the last squads “in” the 2021 NCAA Tournament’s field of 68.

This win was enough to restore some hope. How much? College basketball expert Andy Katz believes that it could be enough to ensure that a 4-2 finish to the regular season could land the Spartans in the NCAA Tournament.

Katz brings up a good point about there being enough opportunities remaining for Michigan State. Sure, the Spartans could lose the rest of their games, but they could also go 4-2, stealing wins from Illinois, Ohio State or Michigan which would be enough to impress the selection committee. They could also win a game or two in the Big Ten Tournament and finish with a 16-11 or 16-12 final record, sneaking into the field.

Right when it seemed like the season was over and there was no hope for a potential NCAA Tournament berth, Michigan State just had to go win on the road at Indiana and restore a glimmer of hope.