Tom Crean says this Michigan State basketball is a national championship team

It's widely agreed-upon that Michigan State basketball's Tom Izzo is one of the greatest coaches in sports right now and one of the best to ever do it in college basketball.

And Kay Adams, a sports personality who graduated from Missouri, has come out as a huge fan of his and of Michigan State over the past week. She has been defending Izzo and the Spartans on social media against Michigan fans who tried to claim the Wolverines were the "real Big Ten champs" and she's earned herself a fan card.

Now that she's on the good side of Spartan fans everywhere, Adams can't stop gushing over Izzo and she even had one of his former assistants on her show this week to talk about him.

Tom Crean appeared on Adams' show and she asked him plenty about Izzo and they spoke about him being happy with being unhappy and what goes into preparing for the NCAA Tournament in East Lansing. She then asked Crean if this year's Michigan State team is a (national) championship team.

And his answer should get all Spartan fans fired up.

Note: The question is at tthe 5:30 mark of the video below.

"Oh they're there, yeah," Crean said about this being a championship team. "I do think this is the closest he's been because for whatever weaknesses they have offensively when they're not shooting the ball well, they make up for it with getting steals, layups."

Crean also said that it comes down to who can protect the rim and who makes free throws and Michigan State does it as good as anyone and it can get to the Final Four and win it.

This is a ringing endorsement from a guy who has been around the game for decades, too, and who knows a thing or two about success in March. He made a Final Four with Marquette in 2003 just four years after making one with Izzo as his assistant in 1999. He was also the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2016 and has been in media since parting ways with Georgia in 2022 -- but he recruited Anthony Edwards.

Hearing someone who is very familiar with Izzo and Michigan State say that this is the closest he's been to a second title is eye-opening. Is there a special March ahead?