Tom Izzo and Michigan State basketball treated Spartan fans to a memorable season.
After a four-year drought of Big Ten title contention, the Spartans finally won the conference (by three whole games), beat rival Michigan twice, earned a 2-seed in the NCAA Tournament, and advanced all the way to the Elite Eight before falling at the hands of Auburn and a lineup that consisted of 23 and 24-year-olds.
Izzo had to consider the season a success based on what happened the previous year when the Spartans began the season ranked in the top five only to lose their opener to James Madison and completely fall apart until a Baylor blowout got them back on track.
Still, that team managed to limp into the NCAA Tournament and lose to North Carolina in the second round despite building a double-digit lead early.
This year's team was much more fun to watch and it showed with viewership numbers.
In fact, the Spartans have had one of the top-five most-watched games of 2025 so far, beating out multiple NBA Finals games as well as huge showdowns involving Duke, Alabama, and Kentucky.
The top-10 most watched basketball games of 2025 📺 pic.twitter.com/iYh6t7a2W8
— College Basketball Report (@CBKReport) June 25, 2025
Michigan State had the fifth-most-watched game of 2025 against Auburn and that doesn't come as much of a surprise considering Bruce Pearl and Izzo are two of the sport's biggest legends and it was the much-anticipated No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup in the region with the winner earning a Final Four spot.
The Spartans and Tigers squared off in the biggest game that the region saw, but unfortunately, it wasn't as close as everyone had hoped.
Hopefully in 2026, the Spartans have multiple top-five most-watched games, including a Final Four matchup and a title appearance.