Izzo and Michigan State are legendary

After two weeks of competition, we finally have a Final Four. Of course, the one year I didn’t pick No. 1 seeds to be the majority in my Final Four, three of the four remaining are a No. 1 seed. Michigan State is a seven seed, but that can hardly be considered a surprise. The Spartans seem to always come into the tournament underrated and manage to constantly upset higher-seeded teams thanks to the coaching of Tom Izzo.

It’s easy to pick teams like John Calipari’s Kentucky or Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke. They are constantly seeded at the top of every tournament alongside Rick Pitino and Louisville.

I know better than to bet against Michigan State, but even I had them losing to Louisville in the Elite Eight. Shame on me and the rest of us for overlooking one of the best coaches in college basketball.

Michigan State’s return to the Final Four ends a five year Final Four absence, the longest of Izzo’s 20-year tenure as Michigan State head coach. He has reached the Final Four seven times and is the only coach to reach three Final Fours as a five seed or lower. Despite his storied career, his Spartans seem to be overlooked every year.

His stats as Michigan State head coach make it hard to argue against him. As the Detroit Free Press has compiled, in 20 years Tom Izzo has won 494 games, 233 Big Ten games, seven Big Ten championships, four Big Ten tournaments, and has reached 13 Sweet Sixteens, 7 Final Fours and won a national championship in 2000.

His seven Final Fours outnumber his failed Sweet Sixteen appearances at five. In other words, Izzo has only ever failed to reach the Sweet Sixteen five times in 20 years with Michigan State.

Even when it seems like his team is out of the game, he somehow coaches them back to a victory. The Spartans have been behind at the half in five Elite Eight games under Izzo and they’ve come back to win four. One of those games was Sunday’s overtime win over Louisville to advance to the Final Four. The Cardinals had won the last 94 games when leading at halftime by six or more points, but the Spartans snapped that streak.

In this year’s tournament, Kentucky is the overwhelming favorite and I haven’t talked to a single person who didn’t pick them to win it all in their bracket. There are two other No. 1 seeds left, Wisconsin and Duke, and the Spartans will have to get past Coach K and the Blue Devils to reach the finals.

I admit that I picked Kentucky to win it all, but now that my bracket has no chance of winning, I’m jumping on the Izzo bandwagon. I always root for the underdog, but given everything I’ve just mentioned, it’s hard to classify Michigan State as an underdog. Nevertheless, they entered the tournament as a No. 7 seed this year and are left among a trio of top seeds.

Duke had to battle to get past Gonzaga and reach the Final Four, and Michigan State is coming off a thrilling overtime win over Louisville. If the Spartans are able to get past Duke, they’ll likely have to face Kentucky. The Wildcats barely bested the Irish to reach the Final Four and finally showed their vulnerable side.

I think it’s time we stop betting against Izzo and the Spartans.

Regan Estes is a sophomore majoring in public relations and Spanish. She is also the sports editor of  the Daily Trojan. Her column “Wild Wild Westes” runs on Tuesdays.