Why the stage is set perfectly for Michigan State to finally end the B1G’s title drought

Besides having 3 teams in Minneapolis, you really couldn’t have drawn it up much better for the B1G to finally end the title drought.

It’s of course been 19 years since a B1G team stood atop the college basketball world. Plenty of people have pointed out that the B1G’s last NCAA Tournament Men’s Basketball Championship came a few months after everyone flipped their calendars to Y2K. Now, that same coach (Tom Izzo) and that same team (Michigan State) are set up to end the drought.

Fitting, right?

Let’s get back to that original point of “you really couldn’t have drawn it up much better for the B1G to finally end the title drought.” Surely some people will point to that and question the logic. After all, it’s Virginia who’s the top-seeded team left in the field.

But hear me out for why this could set up perfectly for MSU.

Texas Tech coach Chris Beard called Izzo an “idol” ahead of Saturday night’s matchup with the Spartans. That makes sense considering Beard was a 27-year old coach at Fort Scott Community College when Izzo cut down the nets with the Flintstones back in 2000.

This will be Izzo’s eighth trip to the Final Four while Beard, Tony Bennett and Bruce Pearl will be getting their first experience on the big stage. Izzo won’t be coaching against a Roy Williams, a Bill Self or a Mike Krzyzewski.

Advantage, Michigan State.

Now obviously there’s more to the equation than coaching experience. Izzo lost twice to Archie Miller during the regular season. But at this point, with everything on the line in an unfamiliar setting (it’s somewhat baffling that they play these games in football stadiums), I’d have more confidence in the guy who’s done this before. A lot.

There’s another part of this that might not be so obvious, but I think it also favors Michigan State. Because the aforementioned lack of opposing blue bloods, it’s not like the Spartans would have to get through multiple rosters loaded with NBA talent like they usually do when they reach the Final Four.

(That’s no disrespect to guys like Jarrett Culver and De’Andre Hunter, both of whom will be millionaires soon.)

This isn’t a team which a bunch of one-and-ones like that 2015 Duke team that beat MSU in the semifinals. There are only 2 freshmen starters in the entire Final Four this year.

That matters for a team like MSU, which isn’t exactly stockpiled with next-level talent right now. It’s instead stockpiled with veteran guys like Cassius Winston and Matt McQuaid who seem to always have the mental edge. No team will be as physically challenging to beat in 40 minutes than a Duke team who had 3 lottery picks in the starting lineup, including arguably the best NBA prospect since Kevin Durant.

That’s in the rearview mirror for MSU. So is the program’s past Final Four shortcomings since winning it all in 2000. Speaking of those, here’s a little trip down memory lane:

To recap, since that 2000 title, MSU is 1-5 in Final Four games. Four of those 5 losses came by at least 16 points against blue bloods. The one that wasn’t, 2010 against Butler, MSU was a 5-seed.

I know you throw seeds out at this stage, but 1 team worse than a 4-seed won it all in the last 20 years. In other words, it wasn’t exactly “set up” for MSU when it was a 5-seed or worse in 3 of those 5 tournament appearances. And in the 2 instances when that wasn’t the case (2001 and 2009), a top-seeded Duke or a top-seeded UNC was waiting.

Doesn’t it sort of feel like MSU already got past that mammoth hurdle by beating Duke in the Elite Eight? That was more like a national championship matchup.

It was a couple weeks ago that MSU fans were understandably frustrated to be put in the same region as the top-seeded Blue Devils after winning the B1G Championship. Some might say that’s what fueled this run through the tournament so far. I’m not sure if MSU will feel disrespected heading into this weekend.

But again, it’s worth remembering that the Spartans aren’t considered the betting favorites to win it all:

Two of the men's Final Four teams were 100-1 to win it all at one point this season 👀 pic.twitter.com/wS03xpZw0y

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 1, 2019

So on paper, no, MSU isn’t expected to end the drought. But in terms of a B1G team/coach that you could put in this spot with a bunch of new faces to the Final Four, it’s hard to ask for much more than this.

Seven times, the B1G has been a runner-up since that MSU title. They fell victim to the likes of Krzyzewski, Williams, Jay Wright, Rick Pitino, Billy Donovan and Gary Williams. None of them were making their first trips to the Final Four.

Mike Davis, Bruce Weber, Thad Matta and Beilein, on the other hand, were all making their first Final Four appearances. Izzo was the only B1G coach during that stretch of runner-ups who wasn’t a Final Four first-timer. As you recall, that 2009 UNC squad he lost to was one of the great college teams of all-time.

Interesting? Definitely. Significant? We’ll see.

This game will still come down to matchups, like how MSU handles Texas Tech’s relentless pressure. Having someone like Winston, who perhaps won’t get overwhelmed by the Red Raiders’ defense, could help. So could having guys like Kenny Goins and Xavier Tillman, who have developed a knack for making big buckets late.

It’s funny because the last time MSU was in the Final Four in 2015, so was Wisconsin. Having 2 B1G teams seemed like the odds were favorable to end the title drought. Well, except for the fact that No. 1 seed Duke and undefeated Kentucky were the other teams in the field.

This year, the competition is much more manageable. The field consists of a B1G team, an SEC team, a Big 12 team and an ACC team. One of those conferences will get to claim the 2019 crown. Who that is remains to be seen.

One thing is certain, though. The Pac-12’s title drought, which dates back to 1997, will continue another year.

Connor O'Gara

Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.