Right when it looked like Michigan State was going to be overlooked in the East Region because of the wealth of blue bloods in the 16-team field, a few respected college basketball analysts have jumped on the Spartans’ bandwagon.
Jay Bilas and Seth Greenberg both picked Michigan State to not only make it out of the East Region as the Final Four representative, but they have the Spartans making the title game.
Bilas has Michigan State losing to Arizona in the national championship and Greenberg had the Spartans facing rival Michigan in the title game. The latter situation would likely melt the internet in the state of Michigan, but it would just prove that college basketball runs through this state.
Two respected college hoops experts like Michigan State’s chances to get to another Final Four until Tom Izzo, but another one has jumped on the bandwagon.
Rapheal Davis, a former Purdue guard and current Big Ten Network analyst, has picked Michigan State to make the Final Four and he said that he wouldn’t be surprised if they made the title game, too.
"I got Michigan State getting to the Final Four, maybe even a national championship." @RaphealDavis3 on East Region No. 3 seed @MSU_Basketball 👀#B1GToday pic.twitter.com/NIGDXLkSdd
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) March 17, 2026
There you have it, that makes three respected and well-liked college basketball experts who have predicted that Michigan State will not only make yet another Final Four under Izzo but will also get a crack at the national title game against either Michigan or Arizona.
Michigan State will open its NCAA Tournament run with North Dakota State on Thursday at 4:05 p.m. ET on TNT.
Tom Izzo has seen this movie before
Placed in a loaded region with an all-time good Duke team with a potential Elite Eight battle looming with the Blue Devils in Washington D.C. with an elite point guard leading the way for the Spartans? That sounds familiar.
In the 2019 NCAA Tournament, Michigan State was placed in No. 1 overall seed Duke’s region and they, too, were led by a superhuman freshman. No one was giving MSU a chance.
Again, sounds familiar.
A few experts aren’t overlooking Izzo this year despite his team losing in the finale to Michigan and then in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals to UCLA. They’re smart. Izzo usually does his best work when no one is expecting it. Outside of these three experts, I haven’t seen a ton of people picking the Spartans.
That’s right where Izzo and Michigan State want to be.
I’d love to see Jeremy Fears Jr. tossing the ball in the air as he evades Duke defenders who are trying to foul in the final seconds a-la Cassius Winston in 2019. Chills.