Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Eagerly Await Another Big Game
11/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Playing teams like No. 4 Kansas, in events like the fifth-annual Champions Classic, has paid out huge dividends to Michigan State in the Big Ten and the ensuing postseason over the years.
Win or lose, competing on the nation's biggest stage in November and December is a big reason why the Spartans have won seven conference regular season and four tournament titles, played in 18 consecutive NCAA Tournaments, appeared in seven Final Fours and won one national championship under 21st-year head coach Tom Izzo.
However, while it's pointless to knock the wisdom of MSU's anyone-anywhere philosophy, taking on any and all challengers during the non-conference portion of the schedule has often left the program's ego battered and bruised entering Big Ten play.
So even though the result of Tuesday night's game against the Jayhawks at the United Center may have absolutely no bearing on how the No. 13 Spartans end up in the spring, seniors Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes, Colby Wollenman and Matt Costello feel especially compelled to reverse what has become an unsatisfactory trend.
"Throughout our career, we've typically struggled in November," Costello said. "Coach always tries to schedule very good games and we've just never felt like we can get over that hump early. So we're just attacking these games with a different mindset."
In addition to openly setting their sights on winning the national championship, MSU has other, more immediate, lofty objectives in mind.
"We want to leave a legacy here," Costello said. "Zel and I talk about it all the time. We have goals to be the most-winning (senior class at MSU), win these November games, win those holiday tournaments and do things Michigan State teams typically don't do. We want to be different."
Nevertheless, aside of affecting MSU's ranking in the weekly polls, there is no correlation between Izzo's non-Big Ten regular season record and his 46 NCAA Tournament wins, which is tied for eighth all time with Lute Olson of Arizona and Iowa.
What Izzo can't overstate is the positive effect -- regardless of outcome -- playing the likes of Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, UCLA and Kansas early in the season has had on his teams in March.
"Sometimes, it's not always seen by fans or media, but what do you get out of it? What is your experience?" Izzo said. "In football, it has to be a win or a loss. In basketball, we've got so many games. The importance is to learn how to compete, learn how to play against the best, to see how you handle success and see how you handle failure.
"If you look at it that way, then these games are really, really important. If you look at what does a win or a loss mean in November in our sport, then I see why people think there's not as much value to the game, whether you're ranked 1, 2 or 3. I think the learning process for the players and the coaches is really the critical part about playing a tough schedule early and seeing different kinds of styles."
To Izzo's point, losing to Wright State didn't prevent the Spartans from winning the 2000 national championship and being upset by Texas Southern last season didn't stop them from going to the Final Four.
Still, there's a competitive pride that will drive the Spartans against a loaded Kansas team that returns national player-of-the-year candidate Perry Ellis along with three other starters from last season's Big 12 champions, and which Sports Illustrated has projected to reach the NCAA championship game. The Jayhawks defeated MSU last season, 66-61, in the Orlando Classic.
"It's a new year, but at the same time you don't want to do the same things you did wrong last year because you want to be different," Valentine said. "One of our goals this year is to win these early games. I know our record in the past may not be the best, so we really want to use (this) as an opportunity to win this game and get off to a good start.
"Why not try to shoot for the stars and see what we can do early, and try to hold that the whole year instead of just bringing it towards March? We want to show consistency throughout the whole year to the very last game."
