Tom Izzo "Surprised" by Michigan State's First Four Placement

Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo wasn't anxious during Selection Sunday, but he was surprised.

EAST LANSING – With three regions revealed on Selection Sunday, Michigan State still hadn't been called.

After spending a month on the bubble, the Spartans were forced to wait; and for the fans, doubts started creeping in through social media, namely Twitter.

But not for MSU head coach Tom Izzo, who was happy to see the NCAA tournament streak extended.

"Now that I look at the whole thing and see where they put some teams, I probably should've been (anxious), but I really didn't," Izzo told reporters on Sunday. "I just thought with some of the teams that they had put in, I thought for sure we were in. And we were, we're 11 seed. I didn't sit there chewing my nails."

However, the longtime Spartan admitted he was surprised to see Michigan State selected for one of the First-Four contests but ultimately felt the Big Ten had more reason to protest.

"I'm not going to be upset about a play-in game," said Izzo. "I think our conference and league office should be because I think it doesn't serve what this conference did this year well."

MSU was No. 43 on the overall NCAA tournament seed list, one spot higher and Michigan State avoids the extra game.

The Spartans had five Quad 1 wins, the most valuable component of the NET rankings, whereas Syracuse and Utah State, two teams ranked ahead of MSU, had one and two, respectively.

UCLA, the school Michigan State will face Thursday night, is No. 46 in the NET rankings and 2-6 in Quad 1 games, but somehow the Spartans finished 70th.

"I've said this for two months: the NET is a joke," Izzo said. "If the NET hurt us, that's a joke. If the NET didn't hurt us, I'm cool with it ... If the NET really had an impact, which it sure seemed like it must have, I think that's embarrassing to our profession. There's not a way in the world I'd run the score up on my biggest enemy."

The Spartans ended the regular season with 26 games, one shy of the maximum, but lost 12 contests, six of them by 15 points or more. Izzo emphasized playing as many games as possible but acknowledged it might have hurt his team.

Either way, Michigan State is ready for what's next.

"To think that we've been in this thing 23; really, last year, 24 – straight years is incredible," said Izzo. "By the time I get to my hotel, I'm going to think of it as an incredible opportunity."

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