Michigan State’s 2025-26 season didn’t finish the way Tom Izzo the Spartans had hoped, but they knew they didn’t have the most talented team in the country and they’d have to want it more than anyone else.
Unfortunately, UConn wanted it just a little more than the Spartans, holding on to beat a surging Michigan State team in the Sweet 16 before eventually losing to Michigan in the title game.
Maybe UConn saved Michigan State the heartbreak of losing to Duke in the Elite Eight or Michigan in the title game, but the past two NCAA Tournaments proved that the Spartans are right there. They just need another piece or two to break the Final Four drought.
Some fans believe that they got that in Anton Bonke, the return of Kalen Glenn, and a top-five recruiting class this offseason, and I tend to agree.
Apparently, so does ESPN’s Joe Lunardi.
The oft-criticized (I’ve been guilty of criticizing him) bracketologist may be in the middle of the offseason, but he’s already constructing a bracket for 2027. With the transfer portal window closing last week, he decided to throw together his post-portal bracketology for next season, and Michigan State fans will be thrilled to see where he has them.
Lunardi listed Michigan State as a 1-seed in the West Region with the first two rounds being played in Pittsburgh. That would be a relatively easy trip for Spartan fans who are hoping not to have to travel much for the Final Four two weeks later in Detroit. He has the Spartans facing 16-seed Montana State in the first round.
The rest of the region looks interesting, too.
What Michigan State’s path to a Final Four would look like
Let’s just remain in Lunardi’s world for this hypothetical. If we were to fill out this way-too-early bracket in the West Region, these are the likely teams that Michigan State would face en route to a Final Four in Detroit:
First round: Montana State
Second Round: UCLA
Sweet 16: Texas
Elite Eight: Arizona
Honestly, not the worst path to a Final Four ever, but Arizona is that one team standing in the way. The Wildcats have been knocking on the door for years and it’s only a matter of time before Tommy Lloyd wins one. I’m not so sure that it’s this year, though.
Here’s what I could see the Final Four looking like: Michigan State/Arizona, Duke/Illinois, Florida/UConn, Michigan/Arkansas.
If I’m predicting my bracket in Lunardi’s world, I’m saying the Final Four matchups are:
Michigan State vs. Florida
Michigan vs. Duke
That’s a loaded Final Four. Imagine that Final Four and then a championship game with Michigan State facing Duke or Michigan. I don’t think a Spartan fan in existence is prepared for that possibility.
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