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Tom Izzo adds NCAA Tournament record with Michigan State’s No. 2 seed

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Tom Izzo didn’t have to sweat through Selection Sunday this time around. After an outright Big Ten title and top-10 AP Poll ranking, Michigan State was bound to hear its name called with a high seed for the NCAA Tournament.

That became official on Sunday evening with the Spartans punching their ticket via the 2-seed in the South Region. Archrival Michigan and No. 1 overall seed Auburn are also in the bracket, so it will not be easy.

The journey begins on Friday with a round of 64 showdown vs. 15-seed Bryant. However, simply hearing MSU’s name called gave Izzo another record to his lengthy and legendary coaching career.

Michigan State landing in the final bracket gives Izzo an appearance in 27 straight NCAA Tournaments. If not for the canceled postseason of 2020, that number would reach 28 straight tournaments.

That is a new record for the most consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for a head coach in DI history:

After facing questions about his viability in the modern era of college hoops, Izzo returned MSU to the top of the Big Ten this year, capturing the outright league title by 3 games. The regular season included sweeps of Michigan (2-0) and wins over Purdue, Wisconsin, Maryland and Oregon (2-0).

However, getting out of the South Region and punching a trip to the Final Four will not be easy. FanDuel has No. 1 overall seed Auburn as the favorite to advance at +100 while the Spartans and Iowa State are tied for 2nd in the region at +500. Texas A&M out of the SEC is the next closest competitor at +1200, and fans can use the Michigan online sports betting links to get started.

Izzo has 8 Final Four appearances but has not been back to the semifinals since 2019. Can he deliver another after a true rebound season in East Lansing?

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.