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Michigan State basketball’s history as a 7-seed in the NCAA Tournament

By Scott Tolonen

Michigan State coach Tom Izzo reacts to a play against Duke during the second half of MSU's 85-76 loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday, March 20, 2022, in Greenville, South Carolina.
Michigan State coach Tom Izzo reacts to a play against Duke during the second half of MSU's 85-76 loss in the second round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday, March 20, 2022, in Greenville, South Carolina. /
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There have been five instances in the Tom Izzo era where Michigan State basketball has entered the NCAA tournament as a 7-seed. It has been quite the mixed bag, reaching at least an Elite Eight in two of those years.

Let’s take a look at how the 7-seed has treated MSU in the past and a small preview of what’s on tap this year.

2003: 7-seed in the South Region

The Spartans came out blazing, beating the 10-seeded Colorado Buffaloes 79-64, then torching the 2-seeded Florida Gators by 22 (68-46) just two days later. In the Sweet 16, Paul Davis hits a buzzer-beating jumper to beat the Maryland Terrapins 60-58, leading to a showdown with the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns with a trip to the Final Four. While it was never really close in the second half, the Spartans would be the last Big Ten team standing the the 2003 bracket.

2004: 7-seed in the East Region

This marked back-to-back seasons at a 7-seed and looked to continue the previous years success. Unfortunately, they were upset by the 10-seed Nevada Wolfpack 72-66. The Wolfpack, however, would go on to beat the No. 2 seed in the region, Gonzaga, by a whopping 19 points so the Spartans could have just had an unlucky draw from the start, which is kind of a common theme with them lately as well.

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