WATCH: Michigan State's Tom Izzo Talks NCAA Tournament
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Michigan State coach Tom Izzo is heading to his 27th-straight NCAA Tournament as the Spartans' head coach.
Izzo's squad is a 2-seed in this year's tournament and will face 15-seed Bryant in the first round. That game is set for 10 p.m. on Friday and will be at Rocket Arena in Cleveland.
This is the highest Michigan State has been seeded since 2019 when it went to the Final Four as a 2-seed. It is just the fourth time the Spartans have earned a 2-seed with Izzo at the helm.
Izzo addressed the media after Sunday's selection show. You can watch below:
Below is a transcript from the opening statement of Izzo's presser:
Izzo: "Well, there's nothing like Selection Sunday day. I remember my first one, I remember a couple where I was sitting waiting for the second-to-the-last name to come up, and thank God today, ours came up early. And it's ironic -- Bryant; Phil Martelli and I were on a lot of committees in the last six, seven, eight years. I'd have to say he's one of my better friends in coaching, and he just sort of retired last year. And his son, Philip, I know. In fact, I called him yesterday to congratulate him on winning and getting in the tournament. Because I had talked to Phil, and ironically, now, we're going to play him. So, I can't say I know a ton about them. I know a little bit, that their pace is very good. I'll know a lot more at the end of tonight. And I have been part of a 2-15 loss, so been there, done that. As I told my team, when you stay here 30 years and you're in 27 or [2]8 NCCA tournaments, you've kind of been through everything. And so, I don't feel comfortable with anything, and I don't feel afraid of anything. And that's kind of the place I'm at and where I'm at."
Michigan State won the Big Ten regular season title this year and just recently fell short in the Big Ten Tournament when it lost to Wisconsin in the semifinal round on Saturday.
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