GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The NCAA Men’s Division I basketball tournament bracket was unveiled on Sunday evening, and Spartans head coach Tom Izzo cemented his name in history.
Michigan State was named the No. 7 seed in the East Region, and will take on No. 10 seed USC in Columbus, Ohio on Friday.
No coach has ever led a program to 25 consecutive appearances in the NCAA tournament until today. The previous record was held by previous Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski with 24 straight.
“It means you’ve had a group of people that have bought into a system, and you as the head coach have maintained some sense of consistency over a long time,” Izzo said. “And 25 years. .. We probably would’ve had 26 if it wasn’t for COVID, but 25 years is a long time, but I still hope the best is yet to come.”
“It’s always exciting, this year was a great achievement for coach Izzo, I mean 25, setting the record, it’s unbelievable for him,” Michigan State forward Joey Hauser said. “He wouldn’t want us to do anything more than to put that aside now, and just focus on our opponent, and get geared up an excited for this opportunity. We don’t know much about USC, so it’s going to be fun and interesting.”
The Spartans first-round game against the Trojans is set for 12:15 p.m. ET at Nationwide Arena. If the Spartans advance, they’ll take on the winner of No. 2 Marquette vs No. 15 Vermont.
