East Lansing — Michigan State is back in the NCAA Tournament, something that was a near certainty, even after the Spartans were knocked out of the Big Ten tournament in their first game on Friday.
It should probably have been a lock considering Tom Izzo is at the helm.
Michigan State earned the 7-seed in the East Region when the bracket was revealed on Sunday and will take on No. 10 Southern Cal (22-10) at 12:15 p.m. Friday in Columbus. With that berth, Izzo now has led the Spartans to the NCAA Tournament in 25 consecutive seasons, the longest streak for a coach in the history of the tournament.