Michigan State basketball returns to two familiar spots: March Madness and earning Final Four thoughts. National champion winning head coach Tom Izzo has the Spartans back as a high seed. Plus is getting the East Lansing campus thinking about its first national title since 2000.
The Spartans landed the No. 2 seed in the South regional, their highest mark since 2019. Michigan State is a trending pick to come out of that regional, even over top-seeded Auburn. Izzo also shared a stern promise ahead of March Madness following the loss to Wisconsin, expressing confidence in his crew.
However, MSU drew a rather formidable foe from Rhode Island — despite coming in as the No. 15 seed. Bryant University poses plenty of reasons why Michigan State shouldn’t take the Bulldogs lightly.
Why is the upset alarm sounding off on Michigan State? Time to dive into the reasons why the 23-11 Bulldogs will be a challenge.
Tom Izzo is enduring March struggles this decade
Izzo will one day enter the Basketball Hall of Fame. Plus likely earn a specialized banner above the Breslin Center once his brilliant coaching career wraps up.
However, he’s endured a string of early round disappointments. Izzo’s MSU teams haven’t made the Final Four since 2008-09, when MSU lost to a Roy Williams-led North Carolina team. His Spartan teams have gotten bounced either in the first four round or during the second three times since 2020-21.
Fortunately for Izzo, the Spartans advanced to the regional semifinals during the last time they earned a No. 2 seed (2018-19). But he’s got March demons to exorcise during the 2020s decade.
Michigan State lost the basketball too much
Turnovers can destroy any team during this time of year. Even the renown national powers. And MSU had trouble keeping possession of the basketball.
The Spartans coughed the basketball up on 16.8% of its offensive possessions during the regular season. They average 11.5 turnovers per game.
Opponents facing Bryant lost the roundball at an average of 12.1 times per game. Ball security is a must for Michigan State. The Spartans did cut the number of turnovers down to seven against Wisconsin despite the 77-74 loss in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals contest.
Michigan State is way off from long range
Turnovers aren’t the only element that’ll always doom teams in March. So will a lack of shooting touch from behind the arc.
And Michigan State is one of the worst three-point shooting teams. The Spartans have only hit 30.2% of their three-pointers. That’s one more fatal flaw capable of dooming the Spartans.
It doesn’t help the Spartans that they’re facing one of the best three-point defenses. Opponents only convert 32.4% of its threes against Bryant.
Michigan State’s opponent has power conference experience
Don’t let the American East representation fool you when looking at Bryant’s roster. Michigan State’s opponent comes with plenty of previous power conference representation.
Lead scorer Rafeal Pinzon (18.5 points per game) came via St. John’s and the rugged Big East. Left-handed shooter Earl Timberlake previously was at Memphis with Penny Hardaway. Forward Favour Aire arrived via MSU Big Ten rival Penn State. Guard Jakai Robinson played for Final Four coach Jim Larranaga at Miami.
The Bulldogs have guys who played at the highest levels of college basketball. They won’t be overwhelmed by the Spartans. Will also add head coach Phil Martelli Jr. is the son of a past Elite Eight coach.
Bryant will be in attack mode
The Bulldogs prefer to run a transition game. Make no mistake about it, though. They come with attack options inside — a la 6-foot-11 Keyshawn Mitchell, 6-foot-8 Connor Withers and fellow 6-foot-8 forward Barry Evans.
All three average between 8.5 to 13.5 PPG. But Bryant can attack the glass too outside of pounding inside the paint.
The Bulldogs grabbed 41.2 rebounds per game this season. They even blocked six shots a night. Bryant plays a style more suited for the Big East or Atlantic 10 — and a philosophy that’ll give Izzo and Michigan State fits on Friday.
The post Why Michigan State basketball is on upset alert in 2025 NCAA Tournament appeared first on ClutchPoints.
