Three down, three to go. Michigan State basketball has been in this "must-win" position multiple times already this season, needing to win a majority of its games down the stretch in the regular season to capture its first Big Ten title since 2019-20.
Tom Izzo and the Spartans did that, winning seven straight Quad 1 games to end the regular season with the Big Ten title, Izzo's 11th.
Michigan State earned the 1-seed in the Big Ten Tournament, ultimately losing to Wisconsin in the semifinals, leading to a Michigan win over the Badgers in the championship. Overall, the loss meant nothing and the Wolverines' win didn't improve their seeding and yet Michigan fans have been claiming for weeks that they are the true Big Ten champions -- incredibly disingenuous.
While 99 percent of college basketball fans (outside of the mid-majors) would agree that the regular season title is more important and impressive, Michigan fans disagreed.
Well, Auburn head coach cleared the air on who the true Big Ten champion is.
Hint: It's not Michigan.
Auburn coach Bruce Pearl: "Michigan won the Big Ten tournament. But Michigan State won the Big Ten. And they are THE best team in that league."
— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) March 29, 2025
While we all knew this already, it's nice to know Michigan State is nationally considered the "Big Ten champion" and the best team in the conference despite what Michigan fans and some random NCAA March Madness Twitter accounts say.
Tom Izzo will try to prove yet again that his Spartans are one of the best in the country as they're continuously being doubted by everyone.
Pearl isn't overlooking Michigan State, however. Expect the No. 1 overall seed to give Michigan State everything it has on Sunday evening.