Izzo Gets Honest About MSU's Preseason Expectations

Tom Izzo came clean about what he expected from this Michigan State team before the season.

Feb 1, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo sits during warmups before a game against the USC Trojans at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images | William Navarro-Imagn Images

The Michigan State Spartans are having a season that very few expected. 

While it is never a good idea to count out Tom Izzo, this MSU team did not have high expectations before the season began. 

Izzo’s squad is 22-5 and on a three-game winning streak. The Spartans sit atop the Big Ten by a slight margin. 

With no headline-grabbing star and several unproven players, no one thought this MSU team would have the season it is having. 

Not even Izzo. 

The Spartans were projected to finish fifth in the conference in the preseason polls and weren't even ranked nationally. Izzo considered it fair. 

During his virtual appearance on "The Jim Rome Show" on Tuesday, Izzo discussed his expectations of the team before the season compared to now. 

“I think that, unfortunately, they were right,” he said. “I didn’t know how good we could be. We did not have a team that -- we were good last year, we weren’t great, but I did think that we had some good young talent coming in, and I thought we had some depth, and the depth has been a big key for us.”

The Spartans struggled throughout conference play for much of the last four seasons, never winning more than 11 Big Ten games. MSU has 13 conference wins with four games left to play. 

MSU had a good showing over the summer when it took on European teams, finishing with a 2-1 record against professional overseas players. 

While that does not necessarily indicate how good they would be, as those were low-stakes scrimmages, it should have been an encouraging sign that the Spartans were competing against pros. 

MSU still has to prove itself in the final stretch of conference play. It still plays a tough Maryland team, a ranked Wisconsin squad, Iowa on the road, and Michigan at home.

That is a difficult stretch. 

After many years of quick outs in the NCAA Tournament, Spartan fans became frustrated with the basketball program. While MSU could still lose early, it is less likely if they land a higher seed. 

MSU fans will not have to worry about whether the team will make the tournament this season but rather about how high a seed it will earn.

That is something few expected from this Spartans team before the season, even their head coach.

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