MSU's Izzo on Right March Madness Ingredients, North Dakota State

EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Michigan State is days away from putting its season on the line.

The third-seeded Spartans (25-7) are set to do battle against No. 14 seed North Dakota State (27-7) on Thursday evening (4:05 p.m. ET, TNT) during the first round of the NCAA Tournament. This is the 28th consecutive time that MSU has earned a bid to March Madness.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo shakes the hand of an Ohio State assistant before a game at the Breslin Center on Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

"The NCAA Tournament is an accomplishment," Tom Izzo said on Monday. "Is it true that Auburn last year was the No. 1 seed overall? Yeah, and they're not even in the tournament [this year]. Probably what I'm proudest of is consistency."

Izzo dove into the things he sees good teams do in March, his experiences from deep runs and painful first-round exits, as well as a quick look at the matchup against the Bison.

Tom Izzo Press Conference

More from Izzo

Thoughts on NDSU

"Our staff got a lot of work done last night, spent most of the night digging into North Dakota State," Izzo said. "We did have the other two assistants preparing for the other two teams that we could play [Louisville or South Florida] if we get by North [Dakota] State.

"But they create some challenges. It's an eight-man roster; they're playing eight guys. Six of them can shoot threes. They've got a couple guards that can really shoot it, and they've got a big guy who can really shoot it."

Nov 10, 2022; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; North Dakota State Bison guard Damari Wheeler-Thomas (10) dribbles the ball against Kansas Jayhawks guard Dajuan Harris Jr. (3) during the first half at Allen Fieldhouse. | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

NDSU does have the capability to do damage from behind the arc. The Bison have made 36.5% of their three-pointers this season, ranking 39th in the country. Against Division I competition, the number is 35.7%. It's not the greatest shooting team ever, but they're good enough at it to make you nervous, even for a 3-14 seed matchup.

MTSU Upset Reflection

Izzo also reflected on his first-round loss to 15th-seeded Middle Tennessee State back in 2016 a bit. That loss will be tough to top, especially because Izzo and Michigan State certainly seem to believe they should have been a 1 seed in that year's tournament after that team had won the Big Ten Tournament and had a 29-5 record.

"We played so good," Izzo actually said about that game. "We shot 50-something [percent] from the field, I think 50 [percent] from three. Does that mean our defense was bad? It probably did, but was it from a lack of preparation or a lack of respect? One hundred percent not.

Michigan State senior guard Denzel Valentine (45) guards Middle Tennessee senior guard Perrin Buford (2) during a first round NCAA Tournament game between second-seeded Michigan State and 15-seeded Middle Tennessee Friday, March 18, 2016 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. | Dave Wasinger, Dave Wasinger/Lansing State Journal, Murfreesboro Daily News Journal via Imagn

"So in its own way, that was one of the hardest losses, because I thought we did everything right going in. The meetings were great. The players were great. It was just, sometimes those things happen."

MSU is certainly hoping for better this go-around. The Spartans are still in search of their first national title since 2000 and their first Final Four berth since 2019.

Michigan State's Tom Izzo yells at a referee about a call made during a game against Northwestern at the Breslin Center on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI